Chinook

Chi·nook  (sh-nk, ch-)

n. pl. Chinook or Chi·nooks

1.

a. A Native American people formerly inhabiting the lower Columbia River valley and adjoining coastal regions of Washington and Oregon, now located in western Washington. The Chinook traded widely throughout the Pacific Northwest.

b. A member of this people.

c. The Chinookan language of the Chinook.

2.

a. Any of various Chinookan-speaking peoples formerly inhabiting the Columbia River valley eastward to The Dalles and now located in southern Washington and northern Oregon.

b. A member of any of these peoples.

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[Chehalis (Salishan language of western Washington) c'inúk.]

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chi·nook  (sh-nk, ch-)

n.

1. A moist warm wind blowing from the sea in coastal regions of the Pacific Northwest.

2. A warm dry wind that descends from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, causing a rapid rise in temperature.

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[Short for Chinook wind.]

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chinook [tʃɪˈnuːk -ˈnʊk]

n

1. (Earth Sciences / Physical Geography) Also called snow eater a warm dry southwesterly wind blowing down the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains

2. (Earth Sciences / Physical Geography) Also called wet chinook a warm moist wind blowing onto the Washington and Oregon coasts from the sea

[from Salish c`inuk]

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Chinook [tʃɪˈnuːk -ˈnʊk]

n

1. (Social Science / Peoples) pl -nook, -nooks a North American Indian people of the Pacific coast near the Columbia River

2. (Linguistics / Languages) the language of this people, probably forming a separate branch of the Penutian phylum

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chinook  (sh-nk, ch-)

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. See also foehn.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	chinook - a warm dry wind blowing down the eastern slopes of the Rockies chinook wind, snow eater air current, current of air, wind - air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure; "trees bent under the fierce winds"; "when there is no wind, row"; "the radioactivity was being swept upwards by the air current and out into the atmosphere"
	2.	Chinook - a member of an important North American Indian people who controlled the mouth of the Columbia river; they were organized into settlements rather than tribes Penutian - a member of a North American Indian people speaking one of the Penutian languages
	3.	chinook - pink or white flesh of large Pacific salmon chinook salmon, king salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, quinnat salmon, chinook salmon, king salmon, chinook - large Pacific salmon valued as food; adults die after spawning salmon - flesh of any of various marine or freshwater fish of the family Salmonidae
	4.	Chinook - a Penutian language spoken by the Chinook Chinookan Penutian - a family of Amerindian language spoken in the great interior valley of California
	5.	chinook - large Pacific salmon valued as food; adults die after spawning Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, quinnat salmon, chinook salmon, king salmon salmon - any of various large food and game fishes of northern waters; usually migrate from salt to fresh water to spawn genus Oncorhynchus, Oncorhynchus - Pacific salmon including sockeye salmon; chinook salmon; chum salmon; coho salmon chinook salmon, king salmon, chinook - pink or white flesh of large Pacific salmon