skookum · adj — excellent, impressive. It carries an Arena rating of 1565, earned across 54 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, skookum ranks #938 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say, #2,168 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #2,336 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #3,873 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words.
skookum is pronounced /ˈskuːkəm/.
Why “skookum” is a great word
SKOOKUM — [Adjective, Noun] An adjective denoting something impressively strong, reliable, or excellent; as a noun, it can refer to a mythological monster, a powerfully-built cat, or a souvenir doll. From Chinook Jargon, from Lower Chehalis (a Salishan language) skwəkwə́m ("ghost, spirit, monster"). First attested in English 1825–35. Unlike "robust," which focuses on mere physical resilience, or "stalwart," which emphasizes unwavering loyalty, skookum conveys a rugged excellence freighted with the character of the Pacific Northwest—a term forged in trade that implies a rough-hewn, proven worth. It is the heft of an axe handle that never cracks, the uncomplaining rumble of a truck that has worked the same logging road for forty winters, and the uncanny stillness of a carved cedar doll that seems to watch from the shelf; a word that binds the utilitarian to the spirit world, quietly insisting that true strength is never merely material.
❧ Written by Lexicurio’s AI
Etymology
First attested in 1825–35. Borrowed from Chinook Jargon, from Lower Chehalis.
adj
- Excellent, impressive.
- Big, strong, durable, reliable, trustworthy, doughty.
noun
- A domestic cat of a small, short-legged breed.
- A kind of Native American-themed souvenir doll once common in tourist areas.
- An evil spirit or woodland monster or giant.
- A type of doll in the form of a Native American.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
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