cheechako

American

[chee-chah-koh] / tʃiˈtʃɑ koʊ /

Sometimes Cheechako or chechako,

noun

Informal.

plural

cheechakos

(in Alaska and Northern Canada) a tenderfoot; greenhorn; newcomer.

Etymology

Origin of cheechako

First recorded in 1895–1900; from Chinook Jargon; chee “just now, new” from Lower Chinook čxi “straightway” + chako “come” from Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka) čokwa· “come!” (imperative particle)

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The ferry bar is a place where the pipeline welder and legislative lawyer talk, where a cheechako can meet and get to know someone born and raised in Angoon.

From Washington Times

If he’s enthusiastic about Alaska life, he’s also admittedly a bit of a cheechako.

From Washington Times

Ballads of a Cheechako. 12th Impression.

From Project Gutenberg

Cheechako is not Eskimo for "tenderfoot."

From Time Magazine Archive

After repeating his first success with Ballads of a Cheechako and a popular novel of the Gold Rush, The Trail of '98, he was free to live and wander as he liked.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023