Tlingit

noun

Tlin·​git ˈtliŋ-kət How to pronounce Tlingit (audio)
-gət,
 also  ˈkliŋ-
1
plural Tlingit or Tlingits : a member of a group of First Nations peoples of the islands and coast of southern Alaska
2
: the language of the Tlingit peoples
Tlingit adjective

Examples of Tlingit 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.
Sitka The Tlingit people are the town's original inhabitants, but the area is also known for its Russian heritage, displayed through the Russian Bishop's House and St. Michael's Russian Orthodox Cathedral. Sharael Kolberg, Travel + Leisure, 27 May 2025 In a warehouse-sized gallery, Galanin (b. 1978; Tlingit/Unangax̂) has suspended an oversized Tlingít box drum. Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025 He is known for work that fuses traditional Tlingit and contemporary practices and motifs in order to critique colonialism and elevate Indigenous culture. News Desk, Artforum, 19 Dec. 2024 The traditional Tsimshian community is also home to Tlingit, Aleut, Yupik and other Native Peoples, according to the state. Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 15 May 2025 An Alaska Native Tlingit tribal member, Kate Nelson is an award-winning independent journalist based in Minneapolis who focuses on amplifying important Indigenous change makers and issues. Kate Nelson, AFAR Media, 21 Apr. 2025 The Tlingit described it as the budding moon of plants and shrubs, the Cherokee called it the flower moon, and the Apache referred to it as the moon of the big leaves, according to Western Washington University’s site. Kameryn Griesser, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2025 The exhibition opens with two photographs—one by Nicholas Galanin (Tlingit/Unangax̂) and another by Zoë Urness (Tlingit)—that together hint at differing interpretations of the show’s titular term. Julia Silverman, ARTnews.com, 1 Apr. 2025 One example is last year’s soft opening on remote Prince of Wales Island of a new port in Klawock, a small town with a rich Tlingit heritage and a renowned totem park. Fran Golden, AFAR Media, 26 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Tlingit łi·ngít human being

First Known Use

1865, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Tlingit was in 1865

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tlingit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Tlingit. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on Tlingit

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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