OPITSAH [O’-pit’-sah] or [UP-tsah] — noun. Meaning: A knife; dagger; razor; something sharp Origin: Chinook óptsakh “a knife”. The word matches one of two Chinookan nouns for “knife” or “iron”. While the English word “knife” was occasionally used from time to time, as seen in “hyas knife kopa hay” (scythe), the native word was used…

SNASS [snas] or [snaws] — noun. Meaning: Rain. Origin: Of obscure origin, likely a manufactured onomatopoeia. Possibly Kathlamet Chinook ch’as ch’as ch’as representing the noise of rain. A highly expressive word for rain, “snass” is said to have rhymed with the English “moss”, and is the foundation for many Chinook Wawa words and expressions regarding meteorological…