skookum
Americanadjective
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large; powerful; impressive.
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excellent; first-rate.
adjective
Etymology
Origin of skookum
1825–35, < Chinook Jargon: strong, powerful < Lower Chehalis (Salishan language of the Washington coast) skwəkwə́m ghost, spirit, monster (hence, apparently “fearsome” > “powerful” in Chinook Jargon)
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.
Nearly $10 million will help the Lummi Nation return about 3.2 miles of stream habitat for salmon listed under the federal Endangered Species Act along the South Fork Nooksack River and Skookum Creek and enhance an existing hatchery.
From Seattle Times
“Winter surfing is tough because it is our storm season and conditions change very quickly,” said Steven Furio of Skookum Surf Co., a surf shop and school in Seaview, Pacific County.
From Seattle Times
Two miles into this mostly level out-and-back hike, a short side trail takes you to the base of 250-foot Skookum Falls.
From Seattle Times
We had declared a disaster in September 2021 after more than 2,500 chinook salmon — listed under the Endangered Species Act — died outside our Skookum Creek hatchery facility.
From Seattle Times
Near Greenwater, enjoy the leafy canopy, and pull over near the Skookum Falls viewpoint to catch sight of bright, blazing vine maples.
From Seattle Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
