Chinook

noun

Chi·​nook shə-ˈnu̇k How to pronounce Chinook (audio) -ˈnük How to pronounce Chinook (audio)
chə-
plural Chinook or Chinooks
1
: a member of an Indigenous 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 northward
b
: a warm dry wind that descends the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains
4
or less commonly chinook plural chinook also chinooks : chinook salmon
5
: any of a rare breed of large, muscular dogs that were developed in New Hampshire in the early 1900s as sled and working dogs and have a yellow, reddish-yellow, or yellowish-brown coat and calm temperament
Among the dogs he [Arthur Treadwell Walden] used for breeding the Chinook were descendants of Admiral Peary's Greenland expedition huskies, along with mastiff-types.John Nolan

Examples of Chinook in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The whales rely on fish — preferably Chinook salmon — and live in three pods called J, K and L. The southern residents have been in the spotlight of conservation efforts for decades. Evan Bush, NBC News, 4 Dec. 2024 Water temperatures rose as the river slowed through the summer, and in September, Chinook salmon returning to spawn began to die, littering the banks with as many as 70,000 carcasses. Jeff Moag, Outside Online, 3 Dec. 2024 Coho and especially Chinook salmon stocks spiked this year in Vancouver Island and its inlets, according to the Pacific Salmon Foundation, after years of downturn. Jules Struck, The Christian Science Monitor, 2 Dec. 2024 Drumming made the floor vibrate and singing filled the conference room of the Chinook Winds Casino Resort in Lincoln City, on the Oregon coast, as hundreds in tribal regalia danced in a circle. Claire Rush, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for Chinook 

Word History

Etymology

Lower Chehalis (Salishan language of western Washington) c̓inúk, name of a Chinook village

First Known Use

1795, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Chinook was in 1795

Dictionary Entries Near Chinook

Cite this Entry

“Chinook.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Chinook. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

Chinook

noun
Chi·​nook shə-ˈnu̇k How to pronounce Chinook (audio) chə- How to pronounce Chinook (audio)
plural Chinook or Chinooks
: a member of an Indigenous people of Oregon
also : their language

More from Merriam-Webster on Chinook

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