Chinook

(s̸hə no̵ok, -no̵̅o̅k; c̸hə-)

noun pl. Chinooks or Chinook

  1. a member of a North American Indian people of the Columbia River valley and adjacent regions
  2. either of two languages spoken by this people, Lower Chinook, now extinct, and Upper Chinook, still spoken in Oregon and Washington
  3. Chinook jargon
  4. the warm, dry wind blowing intermittently down the east side of the Rockies during the winter and early spring, which causes the rapid thawing of snow
    in full chinook wind

Origin: < tsi-núk, a Salish name for the Chinook tribe

See Chinook in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun
  1. A moist warm wind blowing from the sea in coastal regions of the Pacific Northwest.
  2. A warm dry wind that descends from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, causing a rapid rise in temperature.

Origin:

Origin: Short for Chinook wind

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noun pl. chinook Chinook or Chi·nooks
  1. a. A Native American people formerly inhabiting the lower Columbia River valley and adjoining coastal regions of Washington and Oregon, now located in western Washington. The Chinook traded widely throughout the Pacific Northwest.
    b. A member of this people.
    c. The Chinookan language of the Chinook.
  2. a. Any of various Chinookan-speaking peoples formerly inhabiting the Columbia River valley eastward to The Dalles and now located in southern Washington and northern Oregon.
    b. A member of any of these peoples.

Origin:

Origin: Chehalis (Salishan language of western Washington) c'inúk

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