cheechako

or che·cha·ko, chee·cha·co

[ chee-chah-koh ]

noun,plural chee·cha·kos.Informal.
  1. (in Alaska and Northern Canada) a tenderfoot; greenhorn; newcomer.

Origin of cheechako

1
First recorded in 1895–1900; from Chinook Jargon; chee “just now, new” from Lower Chinook čxi “straightway” + chako “come” from Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka) čokw “come!” (imperative particle)
  • Sometimes Chee·cha·ko .

Words Nearby cheechako

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cheechako in a sentence

  • Before us and behind us the great cheechako army laboured along with infinite travail.

    The Trail of '98 | Robert W. Service
  • At Bennett the two great cheechako armies converged, and there must have been thirty thousand people camped round the lake.

    The Trail of '98 | Robert W. Service
  • The anxious cheechako had vanished from the scene, and the victorious miner masqueraded in his place.

    The Trail of '98 | Robert W. Service
  • No one but an arrant, thoughtless, selfish cheechako will use a live growing tree against which to build a fire.