Definition of Chinook
Chinook
orChinooks
1 : a member of an American Indian people of the north shore of the Columbia River at its mouth
2 : a Chinookan language of the Chinook and other nearby peoples
3 or less commonly chinook a : a warm moist southwest wind of the coast from Oregon northwardb : a warm dry wind that descends the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains
4 or less commonly chinook : chinook salmon
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Origin and Etymology of chinook
Lower Chehalis (Salishan language of western Washington) c̓inúk, name of a Chinook village
First Known Use: 1795
Other Anthropology Terms
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See words that rhyme with Chinook Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about Chinook
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