Makah

noun

Ma·​kah ˈmä-(ˌ)kä How to pronounce Makah (audio)
1
plural Makah or Makahs : a member of an Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest coast residing in northwestern Washington state
2
: the Wakashan language of the Makah people

Examples of Makah in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Skokomish, Klallam, Makah, Quileute, Hoh, Queets, and Quinault people's traditional land borders and lies within this national park; today, eight Olympic Peninsula tribes live nearby and maintain a relationship to it. Kayla Brock, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 May 2023 The Washington cases, brought by the Makah and Shoalwater Bay tribes, are among those seeking damages for specific harms. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024 The research is welcome for people like Arnold, the Makah fisherman, who rely on the ocean for sustenance. Isabella Breda, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Nov. 2022 The resources contained by the sanctuary, which spans 135 miles of coastline, are co-managed by four coastal native tribes, Hoh, Makah and Quileute, as well as the Quinault Indian Nation, in addition to the state of Washington and the United States. Tara Wu, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Nov. 2020 Longing to connect with other Native Americans in the region, the 31-year-old member of the Makah Tribe helped form the Uptown Singerz, a Native American drum group that shares and celebrates their heritage. Dana Hedgpeth, Washington Post, 2 June 2023

Word History

Etymology

Clallam (Salishan language of the northern Olympic Peninsula) màq̓áʔa

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Makah was in 1854

Dictionary Entries Near Makah

Cite this Entry

“Makah.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Makah. Accessed 13 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on Makah

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!