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Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls

10 3.3
The largest city in the southeast of South Dakota
  • proper noun
  • /suː ˈfɔːlz/
: Sioux Falls
  • I see it as harder for Natives to run in races like in Rapid City, Sioux Falls, and major metropolises in South Dakota.
  • Sioux Falls, South Dakota
  • Sioux Falls, South
  • Sioux Falls, S.D.

Examples

  • SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- South Dakota State University President Barry Dunn says he can see a future in which reservation hospitals and health centers across South Dakota employ pharmacists and lab scientists educated at his school.

    Academic text (2017)
  • SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- South Dakota

    Academic text (2017)
  • Have you ever been to Sioux Falls, the largest city in South Dakota?

  • Thousands of people gathered in Sioux Falls today to witness a major event.

  • I'm excited to visit Sioux Falls for the local festival next weekend.

Surface Forms

Morphology

Sioux + falls

The parts 'Sioux' (a Native American people) and 'falls' (waterfalls) give a clear clue that this is a place name referring to falls associated with the Sioux, so learners will likely recognize it as a geographical place. However, the precise encyclopedic information — that it is the largest city in South Dakota and its exact location — is not derivable from the constituents alone and requires proper-noun/world knowledge.

Etymology

The name Sioux Falls comes from the Sioux people who lived near the Big Sioux River and the Falls, the waterfalls on that river. So the name simply describes a town by the Sioux people and the nearby falls, which is why it is the city's name today.