chum

Where does the word "chum" come from? It comes from Lower Chinook c'əm, passing through Chinook Jargon before entering English (1900s-1910s).

Chum’s story begins in Lower Chinook: c'əm meant “spotted, marked.” Meant 'spotted' or 'marked', describing the salmon's blotchy spawning coloration. By 1800s, the word had taken hold in Chinook Jargon as tsəm. Carried into the Pacific Northwest trade language with the same meaning. It reached English by 1900s-1910s as chum. From Chinook Jargon 'tzum', spotted, for the salmon's spawning markings. Today, chum means a species of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus keta), also known as dog salmon.

1. Stage 1 · Lower Chinook · pre-1800s c'əm "spotted, marked", meant 'spotted' or 'marked', describing the salmon's blotchy spawning coloration.
2. Stage 2 · Chinook Jargon · 1800s tsəm "spotted, marked", carried into the Pacific Northwest trade language with the same meaning.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1900s-1910s chum "a species of Pacific salmon with blotchy spawning coloration", from Chinook Jargon 'tzum', spotted, for the salmon's spawning markings.