George Gibbs
Dictionary of the Chinook Jargon, or, Trade Language of Oregon
~Moos'-moos~, n. Klikatat, MÚSMUS; Chinook, EMÚSMUS. Buffalo; horned cattle. The word, slightly varied, is common to several languages. Mr. Anderson derives it from the Cree word moostoos, a buffalo, and supposes it to have been imported by the Canadians; but Father Pandosy makes musmus Yakama.
~Moo'-Sum~, v., n. Chihalis, MÚSAM. To sleep; sleep. Tikegh moosum, or olo moosum, to be sleepy (literally, to want, or be hungry for sleep); nika hyas moosum, I slept very sound.
~Mów-itsh~, or ~Mah'-witsh~, n. Nootka, MAUITSH (Hale); Nittinat, MOITSH, a deer; Nootka, MOOWATSH, a bear (Jewitt). A deer; venison. Frequently used to signify a wild animal; as, huloima mowitch, a strange or different kind of beast. The meaning given in Jewitt's book is probably a misprint. Like moolock, an elk, the word is found in the Koquilth of Humboldt Bay.
~Múck-a-muck~, n., v. Quære u. d. MAKAMAK (Hale). To eat; to bite; food. Muckamuck chuck, &c., to drink water, or other liquid. Neither Chinook nor Chihalis. Mr. Anderson considers it an invented word.
~Mus'-ket~, n. English, idem. A gun or musket. Stick musket, a bow.
~N.~
~Na.~ The interrogative particle. Ex. Mika na klatawa okook sun? do you go to-day? Interrogation is, however, often conveyed by intonation only.
~Na-áh, n. Chinook, TLKANÁA. A mother. (Hale.) Peculiar to the
Columbia, and now in fact obsolete, the Euglish MA'MA being used instead.
~Nah~, interj. Common to several languages. Look here! I say! Nah sikhs! halloo, friend! Also used in common conversation to call attention to some point not thoroughly understood. In the Yakama language, it is the sign of the vocative; as, nah tehn! O man.
~Nan'-itsh~, v. Quære u. d. To see; look; look for; seek. Nanitsh! look there! kloshe nanitsh! look out! take care! cultus nanitsh, to look round idly, or from curiosity only. Mamook nanitsh, to show. The word is neither Chinook nor Chihalis. Dr. Scouler gives nannanitch as Nootka and Columbian. It is possibly tbe former.
~Nau'-its~, adv. Chihalis, NOITSH. Mr. Hale gives this for off shore; on the stream. It means, according to Mr. Anderson, the sea-beach, and is not properly a Jargon word.
~Na-wit'-ka~, adv. Chinook, idem; Klikatat and Yakama, N'WITKA. Yes; certainly; yes indeed; to be sure. Nawitka wake nika kumtuks, indeed I don't know. In answer to a negative question, many Indians use it as affirming the negative. Ex. Wake mika nanitsh? did you not see [it]? Nawitka, I did not.
~Nem, n. English, NAME. A name. Mamook nem, to name, or call by name.
~Ne-nám-ooks, n. Chinook, ENANÁMUKS. The land otter.
~Ne si'-ka~, pron. Chinook, NISÁIKA. We; us; our.
~Ne'-whah.~ Chinook, NIWHA. It seems to be an adverb used, as is often the case, as a verb, the meaning being hither, come, or bring it hither. Ex. Newhah nika nanitsh, here, let me see it.
~Ni'-ka~, pron. Chinook, NAIKA. I; me; my; mine.
~Nose~, n. English, idem. The nose; also, a promontory. Boat nose, the bow of a boat.
~O.~
~O'-koke~, or ~O'-kook, pron. Chinook, OKÖK. This; that; it. Iktah okook? what is that? okook sun, to-day; okook klaksta, he who; okook klaska, they (being present). It is often abbreviated to oke; as, oke sun.
~O'-la-pits-ki~, n. Chinook, OÖLPITSKI. (Hale.) Fire. Not properly a
Jargon word.
~O'-le-man~, n., adj. English, OLD MAN. An old man; old; worn out. Hyas oleman kiuatan, a very old horse. As regards articles, used in the sense of worn out.
~Ol'-hy-iu~, n. Chinook, OLHAIYU. A seal.
~O'-lil-lie~, or ~O'-lal-lie~, n. Belbella, idem. (Tolmie.) Originally the salmon berry. Chinook, KLÁLELLI, berries in general. Berries. Shot olillie, huckleberries; siahpult olillie, raspberries; salmon olillie, salmon berries, &c. On Puget Sound, always called OLALLIE.
~O'-lo~, adj. Chinook, idem. Hungry. Olo chuck, thirsty; olo moosum, sleepy.
~O'-luk~, n. Chihalis, idem. A snake.
~O'-na~, n. Chinook, EÓNA. The razor fish or solen; clams. Used only at mouth of the Columbia.
~Oos'-kan~, n. Chinook. A cup; a bowl.
~O'-pe-kwan~, n. Chinook, ÓPEKWANH. A basket; tin kettle.
~O'-pitl-kegh~, n. Chinook, ÓPTLIKE. A bow.
~O'-pit-sah~, n. Chinook, ÓPTSAKH. A knife. Opitsah yakka sikhs (the knife's friend), a fork. The word is also used to denote a sweetheart.
~O'-poots~, or ~O'-pootsh~, n. Chinook, OBÉPUTSH, the fundament. The posterior; the fundament; the tail of an animal. Boat opoots, the rudder; opoots-sill, a breech clout.
~Óte-lagh, n. (Hale.) Chinook, OÖTLAKH. The sun. Not properly a Jargon word.
~Ow~, n. Chinook, AU. A brother younger than the speaker.
~P.~
~Pahtl~, adj. Chinook, PÁTL. Full. Pahtl lum or paht-lum, drunk; pahtl chuck, wet; pahtl illahie, dirty; mamook pahtl, to fill.
~Paint~, or ~Pent~, n., adj. English, PAINT. Mamook pent, to paint.
~Papa~, n. English, idem. A father.
~Pa'see-sie~, n. Chinook, PASÍSI. A blanket; woollen cloth.
~Pa-si'-ooks~, n., adj. Chinook, PASÍSIUKS. French; a Frenchman.
Mr. Hale supposed this to be a corruption of the French word Français. It is, however, really derived from the foregoing word, PASISI, with the terminal UKS, which is a plural form applied to living beings. Lewis and Clarke (vol. ii., p. 413) give Pashisheooks, clothmen, as the Chinook name for the whites, and this explanation was also furnished me by people of that tribe. It has since been generally restricted to the French Canadians, though among some of the tribes east of the Cascade Range, it is applied indiscriminately to all the Hudson's Bay people.
~Pchih~, or ~Pit-chih~, adj. Quære u. d. Thin in dimension, as of a board. (Shaw.) Not in common use.
~Pe-chúgh~, adj. Chinook, PTSEKH. Green.
~Pee~, conj. French, PUIS. (Anderson.) Then; besides; and; or; but.
Pee weght, and also; besides which; pee nika wauwau wake, but I say,
No.
~Peh'-pah~, n. English, PAPER. Paper; a letter; any writing. Mamook pehpah, to write.
~Pel'-ton~, n., adj. Jargon. A fool; foolish; crazy. Kahkwa pelton, like a fool; hyas pelton mika, you are very silly. The Indians adopted this word from the name of a deranged person, Archibald Pelton, or perhaps Felton, whom Mr. Wilson P. Hunt found on his journey to Astoria, and carried there with him. The circumstance is mentioned by Franchêre, in his "Narrative," trans, p. 149.
~Pe-shak'~, or ~Pe-shuk'~, adj. Nootka, PESHUK; Nittinat, idem. Bad.
~Pe-what'-tie~, adj. Chinooi, PIHWÁTI. Thin, like paper, &c.
~Pi'-ah~, n., adj. English, FIRE. Fire; ripe; cooked. Mamook piah, to cook; to burn; piah-ship, a steamer; piah olillie, ripe berries; piah sapolill, baked bread; piah sick, the venereal disease; saghillie piah, lightning.
~Pil~, adj. Chinook, TLPELPEL. Father Pandosy gives PILPILP, as signifying red, in the Nez Percé or Sahaptin, also. Red; of a reddish color. Pil illahie, red clay or vermilion; pil dolla, gold; pil chickamin, copper; pil kiuatan, a bay or chestnut horse.
~Pil'-pil~, n. Jargon. Blood. Mahsh pilpil, to bleed; to menstruate.
Derived from the foregoing.
~Pish~, n. English. Fish.
~Pit-lilh'~, or ~Pit-hlil'~, adj. Quære u. d. Thick in consistence, as molasses.
~Piu-piu~, n. French, PUER, to stink. Or from the sound often uttered expressive of disgust at a bad smell. A skunk.
~Poh~, v. Chinook, idem. By onoma. Mamook poh, to blow out or extinguish, as a candle.
~Po'-lak-lie~, n., adj. Chinook, POLAKLI. Night; darkness; dark. Tenas polaklie, evening; hyas polaklie, late at night; very dark; sit-kum polaklie, midnight (literally, the half night).
~Po'-lal-lie~, n. Quære French, POUDRE. Gunpowder; dust; sand. Polallie illahie, sandy ground. The word is certainly neither Chinook nor Chihalis.
~Poo~, n. By onoma. (Hale). The sound of a gun. Mamook poo, to shoot; moxt poo, a double-barrelled gun; tohum poo, a six-shooter. Nisqually, OPOO, to break wind.
~Poo'-lie~, adj. French, POURRI. Rotten.
~Pot'-latch~, or ~Paht'-latsh~, n., v. Nootka, PAHCHILT (Jewitt); PACHAETL, or PACHATI (Cook). A gift; to give. Cultus potlatch, a present or free gift.
~Pow'-itsh~, n. Chinook, PAUITSH. A crab-apple.
~Puk'-puk~, n. Probably an invented word. A blow with the fist; a fist-fight. Mamook pukpuk, to box; to fight with the fists; pukpuk solleks, to fight in anger.
~Puss'-puss~, n. English. A cat. On Puget Sound, pronounced pish-pish. Hyas pusspuss, a cougar.
~S.~
~Ságh-a-lie~, or ~Sah'-ha-lie~, adj. Chinook, SAKHALI; Clatsop, UKHSHAKHALI. Up; above; high. Saghalie tyee (literally, the chief above), God. A term invented by the missionaries for want of a native one.
~Sail~, or ~Sill~, n. English, SAIL. A sail; any cotton or linen goods. Mamook sail, to make sail; mamook keekwillie sail, to take in sail; tzum sail, printed cloth or calico. ~Sa-kol'-eks~, or ~Se-kol'-uks~, n. Chinook, TSAKÁLUKS, leggings. Trowsers; pantaloons. Keekwillie sakoleks, drawers. ~Sal-lal'~, n. Chinook, KLKWUSHALA. (SHELWELL of Lewis and Clarke.) The sallal berry; fruit of gualtheria shallon.
~Salmon~, n. English, idem. The salmon; fish generally. Tyee salmon, i.e., chief salmon, the spring salmon (salmo kwinnat, Rich.); masahchie salmon, a winter species (salmo canis, Suckley); tzum salmon, salmon trout.
~Salt~, n., adj. English, idem. Salt, or a salt taste. Salt chuck, the sea. ~Sán-de-lie~, n., adj. French, CENDRÉ. Ash-colored. (Anderson.) A roan horse; roan-colored.
~Sap'-o-lill~, n. Chinook, TSÁPELEL. Wheat, flour, or meal. Piah sapolill, baked bread; lolo sapolill, whole wheat. The word has been erroneously supposed to come from the French la farine. It is, however, a true Indian word, and seems common to various Columbia river tribes. Pandosy gives SAPLIL as Yakama for bread; Lewis and Clarke write it CHAPELELL.
~Se-áh-host~, or ~Se-agh'-ost~, n. Chinook, SIÁKHOST, the face. The face; the eyes. Halo seahhost, blind; icht seahhost, one-eyed; lakit seahhost (four eyes), or dolla seahhost, spectacles.
~Se-áh-po~, or ~Se-áh-pult~, ~n.~ French, CHAPEAU. A hat or cap.
Seahpult olillie, the raspberry.
~Shame~, or ~Shem~, n. English, idem. Shame. Halo shem mika? arn't you ashamed of yourself?
~Shán-tie~, v. French, CHANTER. To sing.
~She-lok'-um~, n. Chinook, TSHAILAKUMIT. (Anderson.) A looking-glass; glass.
~Ship~, n. English, idem. A ship or vessel. Stick ship, a sailing vessel; piah ship, a steamer; ship-man, a sailor.
~Shoes~, n. English, idem. Shoes; skin shoes; moccasins. Stick shoes, boots or shoes made of leather.
~Shot~, n. English, idem. Shot; lead. Shot olillie, huckleberries.
~Shu'-gah~, or ~Shu'-kwa~, n. English. Sugar.
~Shugh~, n. Chinook, SHUKHSHUKH. A rattle. An imitation doubtless of the sound. (Anderson.) Shugh-opoots, a rattlesnake.
~Shut~, n. English, SHIRT. A shirt.
~Shwáh-kuk~, n. Chihalis, SHWAKÉUK. A frog.
~Si-áh~, adj. Nootka, SAIÁ. Far; far off. Comparative distance is expressed by intonation or repetition; as, siah-siah, very far; wake siah, near, not far. Jewitt gives SIEYAH as the sky in Nootka, which was perhaps the true meaning, or, more probably, they called the sky "the afar."
~Si-am~, n. Chinook, ISHAIEM. The grizzly bear.
~Sick~, adj. English, idem. Sick. Cole sick, the ague; sick tum-tum, grieved; sorry; jealous; unhappy.
~Sikhs~, or ~Shikhs~, n. Chinook, SKASIKS; Sahaptin, SHIKSTUA.
(Pandosy.) A friend. Used only towards men.
~Sin'-a-moxt~, adj. Chinook, SINIMAKST. Seven.
~Si'-pah~, adj. Wasco. (Shaw.) Straight, like a ramrod. Of only local use.
~Sis'-ki-you~, n. Cree. (Anderson.) A bob-tailed horse.
This name, ludicrously enough, has been bestowed on the range of mountains separating Oregon and California, and also on a county in the latter State. The origin of this designation, as related to me by Mr. Anderson, was as follows. Mr. Archibald R. McLeod, a chief factor of the Hudson's Bay Company, in the year 1828, while crossing the mountains with a pack train, was over-taken by a snow storm, in which he lost most of his animals, including a noted bob-tailed race-horse. His Canadian followers, in compliment to their chief, or "bourgeois," named the place the Pass of the Siskiyou,—an appellation subsequently adopted as the veritable Indian name of the locality, and which thence extended to the whole range, and the adjoining district.
~Sit'-kum~, n., adj. Chinook, SITKUM (Anderson); Clatsop, ASITKO. A half; apart. Sitkuni dolla, half a dollar; sitkum sun, noon; tenas sitkum, a quarter, or a small part.
~Sit'-lay~, or ~Sit'-li-ay~, n. French, LES ETRIERS. (Anderson.) Stirrups.
~Sit'-shum~, v. Chihalis, idem. To swim.
~Si'-wash~, n., adj. French, SAUVAGE. An Indian; Indian.
~Skin~, n. English, idem. Skin. Skin shoes, moccasins; stick skin, the bark of a tree.
~Skoo'-kum~, or ~Skoo-koom'~, n., adj. Chihalis, SKUKUM. A ghost; an evil spirit or demon; strong. Skookum tumtum, brave; skookum chuck, a rapid.
~Skwak'-wal~, n. Chinook, SKAKULH (Anderson); Clatsop, SKAKOLI. A lamprey eel. Of local use only.
~Skwis'-kwis~, n. Chinook, Cathlamet dialect. A squirrel.
~Sla-hal'~, n. Chinook, ETLALTLAL. A game played with ten small disks, one of which is marked.
~Smet'-ocks~, n. Chihalis, SMETTAKS. The large clam (Lutraria). Used only at the mouth of the Columbia river.
~Smoke~, n. English, idem. Smoke; clouds; fog; steam.
~Snass~, n. Quære u. d. Rain. Cole snass, snow. The word is neither
Chinook nor Chihalis, and is perhaps manufactured.
~Snow~, n. English, idem. Snow.
~Soap~, n. English, idem. Soap.
~So-le'-mie~, n. Chinook, SULAMICH (Anderson); Clatsop, SHÖLBE. The cranberry.
~Sol'-leks~, or ~Sah'-leks~, n., adj. Quære u. d. Anger; angry. Mamook solleks, to fight; tikegh solleks, to be hostile; kumtuks solleks, to be passionate.
~So'-pe-na~, v. Chinook, T'SOPENA. To jump; to leap.
~Spo'-oh~, or ~Spo'-eh~, adj. Chinook, idem. Faded; any light color, as pale blue, drab, &c. Chahko spoeh, to fade.
~Spoon~, n. English, idem. A spoon.
~Spose~, conj. English, SUPPOSE. If; supposing; provided that; in order that. Spose mika nanitsh nika canim, if you see my canoe; spose nika klatawa kopa Chinook, if or when I go to Chinook; kahkwa spose, as if. See KLOSHK SPOSE.
~Stick~, n., adj. English, idem. A stick; a tree; wood; wooden. Stick skin, bark; ship stick, a mast; mitwhit stick, a standing tree, icht stick, a yard measure; stick shoes, leather shoes or boots, as distinguished from skin shoes or moccasins; kull stick, oak (hard wood); isick stick, the ash (paddle wood).
~Stock'-en~, n. English. Stockings or socks.
~Stoh~, adj. Chinook, idem. Loose. Mamook stoh, to untie; unloose; undo. Metaphorically, to absolve.
~Stone~, n. English, idem. A rock or stone; bone; horn; the testicles.
Stone kiuatan, a stallion; mahsh stone, to castrate.
~Stote'-kin~, adj. Chinook, STOKTKIN. Eight.
~Stutch'-un~, n. English, STURGEON. The sturgeon.
~Suk-wal'-al~, n. Chinook (Hale); Clatsop, SHUKWALÁLA, a gun or musket. No longer used in Jargon.
~Sun~, n. English, idem. The sun; a day. Tenas sun, early; sitkum sun, noon; klip sun, sunset.
~Sun'-day~, n. English, idem. Sunday. Icht Sunday, a week; hyas sunday, a holiday. A flag hoisted on a particular occasion is sometimes also called Sunday. The other days of the week are usually counted from this; as, icht, mokst, klone sun kopet Sunday, one, two, or three days after Sunday. Saturday used to be called at the Hudson's Bay Company's posts "muckamuck sun," food day, as the one on which the rations were issued.
T
~Tagh'-um~, ~To'-hum~, or ~Tugh'-um~, adj. Chinook, TAKHUM; Cowlitz,
TUKHUM; Kwantlen, TUKHUM'; Selish, TÁKKAN. Six.
~Táhl-kie~, or ~Táhnl-kie~, adv. Chinook, TÁNLKI. Yesterday. Icht tahlkie, day before yesterday.
~Táh-nim~, v. Chihalis, idem. To measure. Of only local use, and not strictly Jargon.
~Taht'-le-lum~, or ~Tot'-le-lum~, adj. Chinook, TATLELUM. Ten. The combinations from this are simple. Moxt, klone, &c., tahtlelum, signifying twenty, thirty, &c.; tahtlelum pe icht, &c., eleven, twelve, &c.
~Tál-a-pus~, n. Chinook, ITALIPAS; Yakama, TELIPA. (Pandosy.) The coyote or prairie wolf. A sort of deity or supernatural being, prominent in Indian mythology. A sneak.
~Ta-máh-no-us~, n. Chinook, ITAMÁNAWAS. A sort of guardian or familiar spirit; magic; luck; fortune; any thing supernatural. One's particular forte is said to be his tamahnous. Mamook tamahnous, to conjure; "make medecine;" masahchie tamahnous, witchcraft or necromancy. Mr. Andersen restricts the true meaning of the word to conjuring.
~Ta-mo'-litsh~, or ~Ta-mow'-litsh~, n. Chinook, TAMULITSH (Anderson); Yakama, TAMOLITSH (Pandosy). A tub; barrel; bucket. Icht tamolitsb, a bushel measure.
~Tanse~, v., n. English, DANCE. To dance.
~T'chuk'-in~, or ~Tsugh'-ken~. See CHUCKIN.
~Tea~, n. English, idem. Tea.
~Te-áh-wit~, n. Chinook, TIÁWI; Clatsop, KLÁAWIT. The leg; the foot.
Klatawa teahwit, to go on foot; to walk; klook teahwit, lame.
~Téh-teh~, v. Clatsop, TETEHAHA. To trot, as a horse. Of local use only.
~Ten'-as~, or ~Tan'-as~, n., adj. Nootka, TANAS; Tokwaht, TENES. Small; few; little; a child; the young of any animal. Mokst nika tenas, I have two children; tenas hyiu, a few; tenas sun, early. Jewitt gives TANASSIE for a child in Nootka.
~Te-péh~, n. Chinook, TEPKÉH. Quills; the wings of a bird.
~Tik-égh~, or ~Tu-kégh~, v. Chinook, TIKEKH. To want; wish; love; like. Hyas tikegh, to long for; ikta mika tikegh? what do you want?