Chinook

[ shi-nook, -nook, chi- ]

noun

, plural Chi·nooks, (especially collectively) Chi·nook.

1. a member of a formerly numerous North American Indian people originally inhabiting the northern shore of the mouth of the Columbia River and the adjacent territory.
2. either of the two languages of the Chinook Indians. Compare Lower Chinook, Upper Chinook.
3. (lowercase) a warm, dry wind that blows at intervals down the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.
4. (lowercase) chinook salmon.
5. a U.S. Army cargo helicopter in service since 1962 and capable of ferrying 12 tons of supplies and troops.

Chinook

¹

/ -ˈnʊk; tʃɪˈnuːk /

noun

1. -nook-nooks a Native American people of the Pacific coast near the Columbia River
2. the language of this people, probably forming a separate branch of the Penutian phylum

chinook

²

/ -ˈnʊk; tʃɪˈnuːk /

noun

1. Also calledsnow eater a warm dry southwesterly wind blowing down the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains
2. Also calledwet chinook a warm moist wind blowing onto the Washington and Oregon coasts from the sea

chinook

/ shĭ-nk′,chĭ- /

1. A moist, warm wind blowing from the sea in coastal regions of the Pacific Northwest.
2. A warm, dry wind descending from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, causing a rapid rise in temperature. These winds often melt snow quite rapidly, at times at a rate of up to a foot per hour.
3. See also foehn

Word History and Origins

Origin of Chinook¹

C19: from Salish c`inuk

Example Sentences

In California’s Delta, there are threatened and endangered fish species, including steelhead trout, two types of Chinook salmon, longfin smelt, Delta smelt and green sturgeon.

From Los Angeles Times

Biologists with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announced that they found a single fall-run Chinook on Oct.

From Los Angeles Times

Regulators have banned commercial and recreational fishing for Chinook salmon along the California coast for the last two years in an effort to help the species recover.

From Los Angeles Times

In addition to displacing people, the Park fire, now the fourth largest in state history, imperils the fragile Chinook salmon.

From Los Angeles Times

The Park fire is burning along creeks that provide vital spawning habitat for California’s spring-run Chinook salmon.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• cyclone
• hurricane
• monsoon
• squall
• tornado
• wind
• windstorm