Salishan
/səˈlɪʃən/noun
Relating to the Salish peoples or to the Salishan family of Indigenous languages of the Pacific Northwest.
Did you know?“Salishan” is a scholarly family name based on Séliš, the Indigenous name associated with the Flathead people; it does not mean that all Salishan communities traditionally called themselves “Salish.”
Etymological Timeline
Pre-contact era
Séliš
Séliš
“An Indigenous ethnonym associated especially with the Flathead people of the northwestern United States; the precise original sense is not securely established.”
18th–19th Century
English
Salish
“An English rendering of Séliš, used as a name for the Flathead people and later extended by scholars to related Indigenous peoples and languages.”
Late 19th Century
English
Salishan
“A linguistic classification adjective formed from Salish, referring to the related language family.”
20th Century
English
Salishan
“Established in anthropological and linguistic writing for the Salishan language family, spoken historically across parts of British Columbia, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Oregon.”
Modern English
English
Salishan
“Used for the language family, its languages, and cultural or historical matters connected with Salishan-speaking peoples.”
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