Chukchi

noun

Chuk·​chi ˈchu̇k-ˌchē How to pronounce Chukchi (audio)
plural Chukchi or Chukchis
1
: a member of a Siberian people inhabiting the Chukchi Peninsula
2
: the language of the Chukchi people

Examples of Chukchi in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Arctic sea ice breaks up in the Chukchi Sea between Alaska and Russia. Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 26 Sep. 2024 Pacific walruses live in the Bering and Chukchi seas, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 25 July 2024 Point Hope, with a population of about 675, sits on a triangular spit of land that juts into the Chukchi Sea. Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 27 Feb. 2024 An expanse for lease would become available from Delaware to central Florida and also include parts of the Chukchi Sea and Beaufort Sea north of Alaska. Sheril Kirshenbaum, Discover Magazine, 31 Mar. 2010 For example, polar bears in the Chukchi Sea in the Arctic Ocean were forced to go without food for about 12 days in 1979. Amarachi Orie, CNN, 1 Sep. 2023 Likewise, one of the reasons the Alaska Maritime exists—sweeping from the Inside Passage to the Aleutian chain and on up to the islands in the Chukchi Sea—is to protect seabirds and other migratory birds. WIRED, 26 Aug. 2023 The Pacific walruses' habitat is typically in the Bering and Chukchi seas and along the mainland coast and islands of Alaska and Russia, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 7 Aug. 2023 The range of the Pacific walrus includes the northern Bering and Chukchi seas but the walruses are occasionally observed in areas like the Beaufort Sea to the northeast, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Becky Bohrer, Anchorage Daily News, 4 Aug. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Russian chukcha (plural chukchi), probably ultimately from Chukchi čavčəv reindeer breeder

First Known Use

1780, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Chukchi was in 1780

Dictionary Entries Near Chukchi

Cite this Entry

“Chukchi.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Chukchi. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

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