Yakima

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A city in south-central Washington state, located along the Yakima River ; an indigenous people of the Columbia Plateau region of the American Northwest
2. A city in the south-central part of Washington State ; a Native American nation whose traditional lands lie in the Columbia Plateau
3. Name of a city in south-central Washington state ; also the name of a Native American people living on the Columbia Plateau

Etymology: Yakima is the English spelling of the name of a Sahaptin-speaking people of south-central Washington State, who call themselves Yakama. The English form was adopted from that name, and it now also labels the river that runs through their homeland, the city on its banks, and the surrounding county. The people's name is often explained as meaning something like "runners" or "people of the river," but the exact sense is uncertain and accounts differ. The English spelling reflects how settlers heard and wrote the name, which is why it differs from the Yakama form.