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cannibal

[ kan-uh-buhl ]
/ ˈkén ə bəl /
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noun
a person who eats human flesh, especially for magical or religious purposes, as among certain tribal peoples.
any animal that eats its own kind.
adjective
pertaining to or characteristic of a cannibal.
given to cannibalism.
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Origin of cannibal

1545–55; <Spanish caníbal, variant of caríbal, equivalent to canib-, carib- (<Arawak ) + -al-al1; from the belief that the Caribs of the West Indies ate human flesh

OTHER WORDS FROM cannibal

can·ni·bal·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cannibal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cannibal

cannibal
/ (ˈkĂŠnÉȘbəl) /

noun
  1. a person who eats the flesh of other human beings
  2. (as modifier)cannibal tribes
an animal that feeds on the flesh of others of its kind

Word Origin for cannibal

C16: from Spanish Canibales, name used by Columbus to designate the Caribs of Cuba and Haiti, from Arawak caniba, variant of Carib
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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