Salish Sea

proper noun

A marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean, split between British Columbia, Canada and Washington, United States. Surrounded by Washington State to the southeast, south, and southwest, the British Columbia mainland to the northeast, and Vancouver Island to the northwest; opening to the west onto the Pacific Ocean, and leading north into the Inside Passage.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

proper noun
  1. A marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean, split between British Columbia, Canada and Washington, United States. Surrounded by Washington State to the southeast, south, and southwest, the British Columbia mainland to the northeast, and Vancouver Island to the northwest; opening to the west onto the Pacific Ocean, and leading north into the Inside Passage.

Origin

Salish + sea. Coined by American marine biologist Bert Webber in 1988. Named after the indigenous Salish people who inhabit the region. Coined in order to have a common name for the regional waters of Georgia Strait, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and Puget Sound.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French Mer des Salish
  • Mer des SalishTranslations
Russian Мо́ре Се́лиш
  • Мо́ре Се́лиш (Móre Séliš)Translations
Cite this entry
APA

Salish Sea. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Salish%20Sea

MLA

“Salish Sea.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Salish%20Sea. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Salish Sea,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Salish%20Sea.

Source: Salish Sea on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.