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

Perhaps the best specimen of such ghost-words in the Journal is the name Carib.

From Project Gutenberg

The older Huron word for "tobacco" is derived from the Carib yuli, which itself is from a Mandingo word.

From Project Gutenberg

They had no small difficulty, even at that late period, in bringing the fierce Carib natives under their authority.

From Project Gutenberg

Craddock was still hesitating between the two alternatives, when a Carib Indian came down with information.

From Project Gutenberg

Carib dwellings are the neatest of all; some are of cane, others of frame-work filled with mud.

From Project Gutenberg