Carib

American  

[kar-ib] / ˈkær ɪb /

noun

plural

Caribs,

plural

Carib

1. a member of a group of Indigenous peoples formerly dominant in the Lesser Antilles, now found in parts of the West Indies, Central America, and northeastern South America.

2. the family of languages spoken by the Caribs.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the Caribs or their languages.

Carib British  

/ ˈkærɪb /

noun

1. a member of a group of American Indian peoples of NE South America and the Lesser Antilles

2. the family of languages spoken by these peoples

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Other Word Forms

• Cariban
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of Carib

First recorded in 1545–55; from Spanish caribe, from Taíno caniba, caribe, apparently “brave, daring, fierce person,” perhaps ultimately a borrowing from Carib kalina, karina “(brave, strong) person” or derived from a Cariban root that also appears in the names of the Garifuna, Kalina, and Kalinago peoples; see Kalina ( def. )

Example Sentences

Meanwhile the Carib people of South America see a one-legged hunter named Epietembo.

From Science Magazine • Jan. 18, 2023

Don’t just reflexively book an airline ticket, says Tracey McGoughy, a travel adviser at Carib Compass Travel and Wellness.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 12, 2022

Free and enslaved Black, Native American and Carib Indian people were buried here.

From Washington Post • Apr. 29, 2022

It appeared on Hispaniola in 1518 and quickly swept through the Caribbean, possibly killing a majority of the native Carib and Taíno people in a decade or two.

From Textbooks • Jan. 18, 2018

There are probably Carib Indians on the island, Captain Newport tells us, but we will give them beads and our soldiers will stand guard at night, and we’ll be safe.

From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone