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

"It's like if the Manhattan Project announced the nuclear bomb within a cute little Calvin and Hobbes cartoon."

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

“The consumer is looking for iconic Calvin, starting with iconic underwear and iconic denim. The most-sold denim style right now is the 1990s fit.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

As Calvin Coolidge put it, “The chief business of the American people is business.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

If possible X-factor wildcards - Calvin Miller and Elliot Watt, for instance - were even the tiniest dot on Clarke's radar we'd have known it by now.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

Calvin Smiley stared at his saw for a minute.

From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney