Carib

[ kar-ib ]

noun

, plural Car·ibs, (especially collectively) Car·ib

1. a member of a group of Indigenous peoples formerly dominant in the Lesser Antilles, now found in parts of the West Indies, Central America, and northeastern South America.
2. the family of languages spoken by the Caribs.

adjective

1. of or relating to the Caribs or their languages.

Carib

/ ˈkærɪb /

noun

1. -ibs-ib a member of a group of American Indian peoples of NE South America and the Lesser Antilles
2. the family of languages spoken by these peoples

Derived Forms

• ˈCariban, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Carib¹

First recorded in 1545–55; from Spanish caribe, from Taíno caniba, caribe, apparently “brave, daring, fierce person,” perhaps ultimately a borrowing from Carib kalina, karina “(brave, strong) person” or derived from a Cariban root that also appears in the names of the Garifuna, Kalina, and Kalinago peoples; Kalina ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of Carib¹

C16: from Spanish Caribe, from Arawak

Example Sentences

I visited in October during Creole Heritage Month, when St. Lucia’s melting pot of Arawak, Carib, African, French and Indian-influenced culture is on full display.

From New York Times

“Do the Carib Indians chop people up for their cook pots and eat them?”

From Literature

They hired Carib Daniel Martin, an architect based in Kensington, Md., who has worked with Matt.

From Washington Post

Free and enslaved Black, Native American and Carib Indian people were buried here.

From Washington Post

His crews had observed native Caribs smoking it.

From Salon