Chinook jargon

noun

variants often Chinook Jargon
: a pidgin language based on Chinook and other Indigenous languages, French, and English and formerly used as a lingua franca in the northwestern U.S. and on the Pacific coast of Canada and Alaska

Word History

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Chinook jargon was in 1840

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Cite this Entry

“Chinook jargon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Chinook%20jargon. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.

Last Updated: - Definition revised
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