kinnikinnick

/ˌkɪ.nɪ.kɪˈnɪk/

Etymology

Originally spelled with an "l" in the first part (i.e. killikinick, killikinnick). From Unami këlëkënikàn (“smoking mixture, killikinick”).

kinnikinnick means A mixture of bark, dried leaves, and often berries and/or tobacco, which is smoked. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.

Why this word is great

KINNIKINNICK — [Noun] A traditional smoking blend of bark, dried leaves, and sometimes berries or tobacco, used by Native American and First Nations peoples, or any of the plants employed in its making. From Unami Delaware këlëkënikàn ("smoking mixture, killikinick"), originally spelled with an 'l' in the first part (e.g., killikinick, killikinnick). Unlike "tobacco" (a single plant, Nicotiana) or "bearberry" (a solitary shrub, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), kinnikinnick is both a recipe and a category: a gathering of the land’s offerings into ceremony. It is the crumbled red bark of dogwood, the leathery leaves of sumac, the tart bite of crushed juniper berries—all rolled between fingers, lit, and exhaled as a slow, fragrant haze. A communion not just of plants, but of purpose: to carry prayers, to mark truce, to remember that even smoke must rise from something solid.

noun

A mixture of bark, dried leaves, and often berries and/or tobacco, which is smoked.
Any of the plants whose berries, leaves or bark are used in this mixture.“He ate kinnikinnick berries.”