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

See Examples For:

Caliban

“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

Caliban gives these fellows the idea of killing Prospero and taking over the island, but they quickly reveal themselves to be his moral inferiors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 28, 2023

The language Shakespeare uses to describe the angry, servile Caliban alludes to slavery, which the directors have excised from their production.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 26, 2023

Eight asbestos ceiling tiles had started to bulge down, which meant that either Sycorax and Caliban were getting fatter or the ceiling was getting weaker.

From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt