Caliban

American  

[kal-uh-ban] / ˈkæl əˌbæn /

noun

1. a character in Shakespeare's The Tempest, described as the half-human native inhabitant of the island, who is enslaved by the character Prospero.

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Caliban British  

/ ˈkælɪˌbæn /

noun

1. a brutish or brutalized man

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Etymology

Origin of Caliban

First recorded in 1610–15; probably a variant of cannibal ( def. ) or Carib ( def. )

Example Sentences

But Prospero is jolted into an awareness that Caliban and his confederates are plotting “a foul conspiracy” against his life, and he abruptly ends the show.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 13, 2025

“The isle is full of noises,” sings Caliban, and on Tuesday night it certainly was.

From New York Times • Aug. 31, 2023

That led Orwell to write his landmark The Road To Wigan Pier, which was published two years after Caliban Shrieks.

From BBC • Jul. 7, 2023

“The isle is full of noises,/ Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not,” Caliban observes.

From Washington Post • Dec. 1, 2022

Prospero could safely afford to create a single Caliban on an isolated island and let him roam at large.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee