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

A bronze shrine in the west wall suited what President Calvin Coolidge would later call “a great spiritual document.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

He snapped over 10,000 photos, including cityscapes of Philadelphia and New York, along with President Calvin Coolidge’s 1928 visit to Havana.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

He "zoned out" from the conversation and zoomed in on the tune - The Girls by Calvin Harris - and immediately asked for his number with a view to signing him.

From BBC • May 2, 2026

Wall Street had been watching those plans closely following the departure of Calvin McDonald from the top job earlier this year.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 22, 2026

Calvin entered the upstairs bedroom and encountered five flustered females.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock