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 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 northward
b
: a warm dry wind that descends the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains
4
or less commonly chinook : 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 The fish were part of a Feb. 26 release of Chinook salmon fry into Fall Creek, which flows into the Klamath River, from a new $35 million fish hatchery, officials said. Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 4 Mar. 2024 Monitoring equipment documented other healthy yearling coho and Chinook salmon that came from downstream of the dam. Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024 The largest aircraft to fly in for the trade show will be a commercial Chinook, which is expected to arrive Saturday. Heather McRea, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024 Loon Lake: This Payette National Forest trail near McCall starts at Chinook Campground and offers two routes to the lake, one 4.6 miles long and the other 5.7 miles long. Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 31 Jan. 2024 Last year, populations of fall-run Chinook salmon were so low that regulators shut down the fishing season along the coast. Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2024 Among a raft of orders worth some €30 billion, Scholz’s government has earmarked €10 billion for 35 F-35A Lightning fighter jets manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corp. and is also buying 60 Chinook helicopters from Boeing Co. for about €8 billion. Arne Delfs, Fortune, 18 Feb. 2024 Varieties known for their high yield and versatility — such as Cascade, Columbus, Chinook and Crystal — are good selections for San Diego County. Barb Sands, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Feb. 2024 There was no open fire, no Chinook roasting on wooden skewers. Melina Mara, Washington Post, 14 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Chinook.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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 28 Mar. 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 American Indian people of Oregon

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