chinook meaning and definition

CHINOOK noun

Definition of chinook (noun)

1. a warm dry wind blowing down the eastern slopes of the Rockies
   • synonyms: chinook wind, snow eater
2. 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
3. pink or white flesh of large Pacific salmon
   • synonyms: chinook salmon, king salmon
4. a Penutian language spoken by the Chinook
   • synonyms: Chinookan
5. large Pacific salmon valued as food; adults die after spawning
   • synonyms: chinook salmon, king salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, quinnat salmon