Chinook [< Salishan (Chehalis) chənukw] DCHP-1 (pre-1967)
1 n. — Hist.
(one of) a relatively small group of Indians who lived north of the Columbia River on the Pacific Coast.
2 n.
a relatively simple trade language used by the Indians of the Pacific Coast in their dealings with whites and Indians of other tribes, based on the language of the Chinook Indians; words from Nootka, Salish, French, English, and other languages were adapted to the jargon.
See also: Chinook Jargon
3 n.
a warm, usually dry, west or southwest wind, commonest during winter and spring, that moderates the weather in the region east of the Rockies, including much of the western prairies on occasion, but regularly in the foothills from the Peace River to Colorado. Also spelled chinook.
See also: Chinook wind
4 n.
a large salmon, Onchorhynchus tshawytscha, of the Pacific Coast, much valued as a game fish. Also spelled chinook.
See also: Chinook salmon