Chi·nook /ʃəˈnʊk, ʧə, ˈnuk/



 Chi·nook n.
 1. Ethnol. One of a tribe of North American Indians now living in the state of Washington, noted for the custom of flattening their skulls. Chinooks also called Flathead Indians.
 2. A warm westerly wind from the country of the Chinooks, sometimes experienced on the slope of the Rocky Mountains, in Montana and the adjacent territory.
 3. A jargon of words from various languages (the largest proportion of which is from that of the Chinooks) generally understood by all the Indian tribes of the northwestern territories of the United States.

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 chinook
      n 1: a warm dry wind blowing down the eastern slopes of the
           Rockies [syn: 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 [syn: {chinook
         salmon, king salmon]
      4: a Penutian language spoken by the Chinook people [syn: Chinookan]
      5: large Pacific salmon valued as food; adults die after
         spawning [syn: chinook salmon, king salmon, {quinnat
         salmon, Onchorynchus tshawtscha]