Dictionary

saltchuck en · NOUN

Etymology

Borrowed from Chinook Jargon saltchuck (“the sea”, literally “saltwater”), from salt (“salt”) (from English salt) + chuck (“water”) from Nootka č̕aʔak (“water”).

Meanings

1. (British-Columbia, Northwestern, US, qualifier:Washington) Any body of saltwater, especially the ocean.
   • The ultimate consensus was to keep the de-Whited river Green to its Tukwila junction with the Black, the outlet of Lake Washington, then make it Duwamish the rest of the way to the saltchuck. 2002, Harvey Manning, Penny Manning, Ira Spring, Winter Walks and Hikes: Puget Sound, page 155:
   • Trucks disappeared over precipices, rail cars were shunted into the saltchuck, and donkey engines collapsed from old age. […] However, if it was abandoned anywhere near the saltchuck, it was probably picked up by one of the entrepreneurs […] 2011, Betty Keller, Rosella Leslie, Bright Seas, Pioneer Spirits: A History of the Sunshine Coast, page 130:

Forms

Deriveds

saltchucker · chuck