hoochinoo

hoochinoo or hoot·chi·noo [hoo-chuh-noo, hoo-chuh-noo] Word Origin noun, plural hoo·chi·noos.

1. a type of distilled liquor made by Alaskan Indians.

Origin of hoochinoo 1875–80, Americanism; orig. the name of a Tlingit village on Admiralty Island, Alaska, reputed to be a source of illicit liquor; alteration of Tlingit xucnu·wú literally, brown bear’s fort (xú·c brown bear + nu·w fortified place)