Meanings
- A river in Labrador, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, containing Churchill Falls.
Synonyms: Grand River, Hamilton River, Mishtashipu, Mishta-shipu, Patshishetshunau-shipu
Synonyms & antonyms
proper nounA river in Labrador, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, containing Churchill Falls.
Origin
Churchill+river. Coined by Joey Smallwood in 1965. From being a river named in honour of Sir Winston Churchill, by Newfoundland premier Joey Smallwood, renamed along with the waterfall situated along it, just prior to the commencement of the hydroelectric project at the falls; renaming it from Hamilton River, itself renamed from Grand River, derived from the Innu name of the river, Mishtashipu.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Churchill River. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Churchill%20River
“Churchill River.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Churchill%20River. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Churchill River,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Churchill%20River.
Source: Churchill River on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.