Tsimshian

noun

Tsim·​shi·​an ˈchim-shē-ən 

ˈ(t)si-

1

plural Tsimshian or Tsimshians : a member of a group of First Nations peoples of west central British Columbia and southern Alaska

2

: the family of closely related languages spoken by the Tsimshian peoples

Examples of Tsimshian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Yet when the English arrived, the Tsimshian were declared British subjects and their land claimed as property of the Crown. — David James, Anchorage Daily News, 1 July 2023

Word History

Etymology

Tsimshian (Coast and Southern Tsimshian languages) c̓msyan, a self-designation, literally, inside the Skeena (River)

First Known Use

1846, in the meaning defined at sense 1