(chi·nk′, -nk′) noun Meteorol.
1. A warm wind of the Oregon and Washington coasts; first named because it came from the direction of Chinook territory.
2. A warm, dry wind that descends the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains in the NW United States and western Canada.
3. Any warm wind occurring during the cold season in the western United States: often called snow-eater.

(chi·nk′, -nk′) noun plural ·nook or ·nooks
1. One of a tribe of North American Indians of the Chinook linguistic stock, formerly occupying the region of the Columbia River, Oregon.
2. A family of American Indian languages spoken by the Chinook.
3. Chinook jargon.
—Chi·nook′an adjective