Calvin

American  

[kal-vin] / ˈkæl vɪn /

noun

1. John Jean Chauvin or Caulvin, 1509–64, French theologian and reformer in Switzerland: leader in the Protestant Reformation.

2. Melvin, 1911–97, U.S. chemist: Nobel Prize 1961.

3. a male given name: from a Latin word meaning “bald.”

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Calvin British  

/ ˈkælvɪn /

noun

1. John, original name Jean Cauvin, Caulvin, or Chauvin. 1509–64, French theologian: a leader of the Protestant Reformation in France and Switzerland, establishing the first presbyterian government in Geneva. His theological system is described in his Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536)

2. Melvin. 1911–97, US chemist, noted particularly for his research on photosynthesis: Nobel prize for chemistry 1961

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Calvin Scientific  

/ kăl′vĭn /

1. American chemist who won a Nobel Prize in 1961 for determining the chemical reactions that occur during photosynthesis. This series of reactions is now known as the Calvin cycle.

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Example Sentences

At one point, Bonnie objects when Calvin compares his situation to that of homosexuality, but the conversation ends there.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2026

"It's like if the Manhattan Project announced the nuclear bomb within a cute little Calvin and Hobbes cartoon."

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

Larsson, during Wednesday’s call, added that Calvin Klein had tried to take what made the brand popular in the 1990s and make it current.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

As Calvin Coolidge put it, “The chief business of the American people is business.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

“The charges against Ms. DuForte have been dropped; however, Mr. Porter is still being investigated. Calvin Blake remains in Guardian custody,” the reporter says.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas