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.

---

Caliban British  

/ ˈkælɪˌbæn /

noun

1. a brutish or brutalized man

---

Etymology

Origin of Caliban

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

Example Sentences

“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

Indeed, this “savage,” as Shakespeare took pains to note in his complicated depiction of Caliban, is a good deal more civilized than the drunken riffraff with whom he falls into cahoots.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 28, 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

“But who is he?” she says, leaning forward, really expecting me to launch into an essay explaining who the Caliban in my life is.

From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali