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.”

---

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

---

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.

---

Example Sentences

At one point, Bonnie objects when Calvin compares his situation to that of homosexuality, but the conversation ends there.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2026

Lululemon is searching for a new CEO after Calvin McDonald stepped down in January.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

"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

“When the show launched, we could see the search increase for Calvin Klein, e-commerce traffic, D2C, is positive,” Larsson said, referring to “direct-to-consumer.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

“I saw a peddler play a saw once when I was just a pup, so I taught myself to play. Pop thought I was a fool at first,” Calvin said.

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