Clayoquot Sound
/ˈkleɪəkwɒt saʊnd/noun
A coastal inlet on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
Did you know?“Clayoquot” is an English rendering of Tla-o-qui-aht, the name of a Nuu-chah-nulth First Nation whose traditional territory surrounds the inlet; “sound” comes from an Old Norse word for a strait or channel.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-contact period
Nuu-chah-nulth
Tla-o-qui-aht
“The Indigenous name of the Nuu-chah-nulth people associated with the region; translations vary, including references to a different or changing place.”
18th Century
English
Clayoquot
“An anglicized colonial spelling of Tla-o-qui-aht, applied to the people and their territory.”
Old Norse
Old Norse
sund
“A strait, channel, or narrow passage of water.”
Middle English
English
sound
“A stretch of water connecting larger bodies of water, borrowed through Scandinavian influence.”
18th–19th Century
English
Clayoquot Sound
“The English geographical name for the large inlet on Vancouver Island’s west coast.”
Modern English
English
Clayoquot Sound
“A major coastal marine region known for its old-growth forests, islands, Indigenous communities, and conservation history.”