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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.

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

From Washington Times • Nov. 1, 2014

He's a guard you can trust at the sluice box, And he'll watch by your cache thru the night, And if some cheechako tries to molest it That cheechako's in for a fight.

From Rhymes of a Roughneck by O'Cotter, Pat

The supercilious cheechako might designate them high, But one acquires a taste for them and likes them by-and-by.

From Ballads of a Cheechako by Service, Robert W. (Robert William)

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