tule

noun

tu·​le ˈtü-lē How to pronounce tule (audio)
plural tules
1
: any of various large bulrushes
especially : a tall sedge (Schoenoplectus acutus synonym Scirpus acutus) of North America that grows in dense stands along freshwater wetlands
The roots and seeds of tule, a reed that grows along shorelines and in the shallows, were eaten and the reeds themselves were used to make baskets, cord, sandals and clothing. Philip Kopper et al.
2
chiefly California : land on which tules are the dominant or characteristic native plant
usually plural
This habitat is fed and flooded by Butte Creek and is defined by a matrix of marsh, tules, shallow waterways and uplands with oaks and willows.Tom Stienstra

Examples of tule in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The Central Valley historically had about 4 million acres of wetlands and riparian areas, forming a vast watery mosaic of marshes, vernal pools, rivers in braided channels and lakes fringed with tules and forests. Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2024 The lake and its extensive wetlands once teemed with fish, birds, beavers and frogs, and the people who lived on its shores built rafts out of tules and fished with basket traps. Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2023 Farmworkers in California's Central Valley know that when the tule fog settles over the ground after a heavy rain, some of them are about to get sick. Ashli Blow, Scientific American, 19 Sep. 2023 Two young tribal members carried bunches of tules and waded into the water. Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2023 Another discussion arose around the show’s California tule reed tree house design, which was worked on by visual development artist Chris Aguirre, a Chihene Nde Warm Springs Band of Chiricahua Apaches member and the artist who designed the character Puss in Boots. Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 June 2023 Everyone knew the town was built on what had once been the shore of an enormous inland lake, called Tulare for the tules, or reeds, that grew around it. Brooke Jarvis, New York Times, 31 May 2023 In one experience, users can point their phone at the ocean to see Kumeyaay people paddling tule boats amid the waves as Kumeyaay Community College director and professor Stan Rodriguez speaks of the tribe’s maritime culture, first in Kumeyaay then in English. San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Dec. 2022 The Southern Pomo built tule balsa rafts and lived in tule huts all over the Santa Rosa Plain, fishing for salmon with hooks chipped from chert. Carolyn Wells, Longreads, 24 Mar. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tule.' 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

Spanish, from Nahuatl tōllin

First Known Use

1837, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of tule was in 1837

Dictionary Entries Near tule

Cite this Entry

“Tule.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tule. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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