/keuh chee"neuh/ , n.
1. any of various ancestral spirits deified by the Hopi Indians and impersonated in religious rituals by masked dancers.
2. a Hopi religious ritual at which such masked dancers perform.
3. a masked dancer impersonating such a spirit at a Hopi religious ritual.
4. See kachina doll .
Also, katcina, katchina .
[ 1885-90; kacína k'â·cina (or a cognate word) ]