Yakama

noun

Yak·​a·​ma ˈya-kə-ˌmȯ How to pronounce Yakama (audio)
variants or Yakima
plural Yakama or Yakamas or Yakima or Yakimas
1
: a member of a group of Sahaptin peoples of the lower Yakima River valley, south central Washington
2
: the language of the Yakama people

Examples of Yakama in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web On May 12, 2022, after Palmer told the Yakama Nation about her findings on Badger Mountain, tribal leaders sent a letter to the state, saying the deficiencies in Tetra Tech’s report had far-reaching implications, since the company was doing other work on Yakama lands as well. B. “toastie” Oaster, ProPublica, 19 Jan. 2024 For instance, in 2008 skeletal remains were found in a remote part of the Yakama Nation Reservation in Washington State. Erika Engelhaupt, Scientific American, 18 Oct. 2023 In recent years, they’ve been planted alongside a corrections facility on the Yakama reservation in Washington, in Los Angeles’s Griffith Park and in Cambridge, where the forest is one of the first of its kind in the Northeast. Cara Buckley, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2023 In recent years, they’ve been planted alongside a corrections facility on the Yakama reservation in Washington state, in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park and in Cambridge, where the forest is one of the first of its kind in the Northeast. Cara Buckley, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Aug. 2023 That Umatilla, Warm Springs, Yakama and Nez Perce do not have treaty rights at the falls, or anywhere on the Columbia River downstream of Bonneville Dam. oregonlive, 9 Aug. 2023 The event marks the harvesting of the eel-like fish at Willamette Falls, an annual activity that has endured for thousands of years among the Yakama Nation and other tribes. oregonlive, 13 July 2023 Leaders of the Yakama Nation, an 11,000-member tribe whose ancestral lands once included the Hanford site, say their 1855 treaty promised that tribe members would have the right to hunt and fish on healthy lands. Ralph Vartabedian, New York Times, 31 May 2023 The Yakama Indian Reservation is just one of many U.S. communities dealing with a shortage of obstetric care. Faith Abubey, ABC News, 17 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Yakama.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

earlier Eyakima, the Yakima River, Yakamas, perhaps from Sahaptin iyakíma, literally, pregnant ones

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Yakama was in 1838

Dictionary Entries Near Yakama

Cite this Entry

“Yakama.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Yakama. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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