Tyhee
/ˈtaɪ.hiː/noun
A chief, leader, or important person, especially in historical Pacific Northwest usage.
Did you know?Tyhee is a spelling variant of tyee, a term preserved in Chinook Jargon and historical English writing about the Pacific Northwest.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-contact period
Nuu-chah-nulth
taiyi
“A chief or superior person; commonly cited as the Indigenous source behind later Pacific Northwest forms.”
19th Century
Chinook Jargon
tyee
“Chief, leader, or important person.”
19th Century
English
tyee
“A chief or prominent person in the Pacific Northwest.”
19th–20th Century
English
tyhee
“A variant spelling of tyee, used for a chief or important person.”
Modern English
English
tyhee
“A historical or regional term for a chief or leader.”