What does coulee mean?
A coulee is a deep ravine or gorge carved by running water, a term used chiefly in the northwestern United States and western Canada. Depending on the region, it can also denote the stream itself flowing along the ravine's floor. The word entered American English from French-Canadian settlers, ultimately deriving from the French verb couler, "to flow." Though some coulees carry perennial streams, many are dry channels left behind by ancient floods or seasonal runoff — most famously the Grand Coulee in Washington State, a colossal dry channel scoured by Ice Age floods and now home to the Grand Coulee Dam. For travelers and geologists alike, the word evokes the rugged, sculpted landscapes of the Columbia Plateau and the northern plains, where steep-walled coulees break up otherwise rolling terrain.
nounA deep ravine or gulch formed by flowing water, especially one characteristic of the northwestern United States and western Canada; in some regions, a stream or river bed that flows through such a ravine.
- A deep, water-formed ravine or gulch, especially in the northwestern US and western Canada.
- A stream or watercourse running through such a ravine.
"The trail descended into the shaded coulee, where wildflowers crowded the banks of the seasonal stream."
"Cattle grazed along the floor of the broad coulee below the ranch house."
"After the spring rains, the dry coulee filled with a rushing torrent of snowmelt."
Standard plural; the word is countable and takes regular plural inflection.
"The plateau was dissected by dozens of coulees draining toward the Columbia River."
The word comes from French for "to flow" — yet America's most famous coulee, the Grand Coulee, has been bone dry since the Ice Age floods that carved it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of coulee
"Coulee" derives from French couler, "to flow," via the French-Canadian dialect word coulée, meaning a flow or streambed. It was adopted into American English during the fur-trade and settlement era as French-speaking voyageurs explored the interior of North America, and it took firmest root in the Pacific Northwest and the Canadian prairies. The French verb traces back to Late Latin colare, "to strain or filter," which also gives English "percolate" and "colander."
How coulee is actually used
"Coulee" is strongly regional, used mainly in Washington State, Montana, Wisconsin, and the Canadian prairies; speakers elsewhere would more likely say ravine, gulch, or arroyo. In parts of the upper Midwest it can refer to any steep-sided valley regardless of whether water currently flows through it. The term appears frequently in place names, most famously the Grand Coulee and Grand Coulee Dam in Washington.
Easily confused with coulee
"Coolly" means calmly or without warmth as an adverb, while "coulee" is a noun naming a water-carved ravine.