Chehalis

[ shuh-hey-lis ]

noun

, plural Che·ha·lis·es, (especially collectively) Che·ha·lis

1. a river flowing from southwestern Washington State through western Washington State to the Pacific Ocean. 125 miles (201 km) long.
2. a member of an Indigenous people in western Washington State traditionally living in and around the basin of the Chehalis River.
3. either of the two Salishan languages of the Chehalis.

adjective

1. of or relating to the Chehalis or their languages.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Chehalis¹

First recorded in 1850–55; from Lower Chehalis (a member of the Coast Salish branch of Salishan languages) Tsalis “sandy place” or Chikelis (also c̓x̣íľəs ) “shifting sands,” the name of a village in Grays Harbor County, Washington State

Example Sentences

Kids who are sentenced to further detention after their cases resolve are generally transferred to one of two state-run facilities: Echo Glen in Snoqualmie or Green Hill School in Chehalis.

From Seattle Times

Washington’s four secure facilities are located in Chehalis, Wenatchee, Vancouver and Kent.

From Seattle Times

A Chehalis man on Wednesday pleaded not guilty to a federal indictment accusing him of sabotaging two electrical substations in Oregon’s Clackamas County.

From Seattle Times

An employee at Green Hill School, a state juvenile detention center in Chehalis, turned “a blind eye” as a young male assaulted another incarcerated person earlier this year, Lewis County prosecutors said this week.

From Seattle Times

Michelle Goodman, 30, was arrested Monday by Chehalis police.

From Seattle Times