river in W Oreg., flowing north into the Columbia River near Portland: c. 190 mi (306 km)
Origin:
< ? AmInd place name
See Willamette in American Heritage Dictionary 4
A river, about 473 km (294 mi) long, of northwest Oregon flowing generally northward to the Columbia River near Portland. The Willamette Valley, a fertile agricultural region, was first settled in the 1830s by pioneers traveling west along the Oregon Trail.