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

See Examples For:

Calvin

Calvin Klein taps Tate McRae for new denim campaign.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Kristin Kobes Du Mez, a Calvin University historian who writes about white evangelicals and gender, was not surprised.

From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026

Not only that, but a lot of “Love Story” takes place behind the public facades of Kennedy and Bessette, in the offices of Calvin Klein and inside Kennedy’s Tribeca loft.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

“They’re different in many ways,” said Calvin Mercer, an East Carolina University religious studies professor who writes about human enhancement technologies.

From Slate ● Jul. 29, 2026

Mother Fox called down to Calvin for help, and someone relit a lamp.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock