noun
also kin·ni·ki·nic or kin·ni·ki·nick or kin·ni·kin·nic or kin·ni·kin·nik |kinə̇kə|nik ; or kil·lic·kin·nic or kil·li·ki·nick or kil·lic·kin·nick |kilə̇k-
( -s )
Etymology: of Algonquian origin; akin to Natick kinukkinuk mixture, Ojibwa kinikinige he mixes by hand
1. : a mixture of the dried leaves and bark of certain plants (as sumac leaves and the inner bark of a dogwood, especially the silky cornel) and sometimes tobacco smoked by the Indians and pioneers in the Ohio valley and the region of the Great Lakes
2. : a plant used in kinnikinnick: as
a. : bearberry
b. : silky cornel
c. : red osier
d. : either of two sumacs ( Rhus virens and R. microphylla ) chiefly of the southwestern United States and Mexico