Salish

[ sey-lish ]

noun

1. a member of any of various North American Indian peoples speaking a Salishan language.
2. Also called Mon·tan·a Sa·lish [mon-, tan, -, uh, , sey, -lish],. an Interior Salish language of Montana and Washington spoken by the Flathead, Spokane, and Kalispel peoples.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Salishan languages or their speakers.

Salish

/ ˈseɪlɪʃən; ˈseɪlɪʃ; ˈsæl- /

noun

1. a family of North American Indian languages spoken in the northwestern US and W Canada
2. the Salish
   functioning as plural the peoples collectively who speak these languages, divided in Canada into the Coast Salish and the Interior Salish

Word History and Origins

Origin of Salish¹

First recorded in 1840–50; from Southern Interior Salish séʔliš literally, Flathead ¹( def ), a self-designation

Example Sentences

The remaining heavy oil tends to sink, making cleanup unlikely in the Salish Sea’s deep straits.

From Seattle Times

Jackson did not immediately respond to a voice message seeking comment left with the Salish and Kootenai legal department.

From Seattle Times

“We call that ‘America’ over there,” joked McCallum, 80, stopping to talk near the county’s Friday Harbor courthouse and pointing across the shimmering Salish Sea to mainland Washington state.

From Seattle Times

Coast Salish tribes, at the forefront of the North Cascades mountain goat monitoring efforts, have deep cultural ties to the animals.

From Seattle Times

The name Salish Sea sparked international collaboration between scientists, policymakers and others, uniting in the cause of the restoration and protection of shared waters over an international border.

From Seattle Times