caribou

[kar-uh-boo]

noun, plural car·i·bous, (especially collectively) car·i·bou.

any of several large, North American deer of the genus Rangifer, related to the reindeer of the Old World.

Origin of caribou

1665–75, Americanism; < Canadian French caribou, replacing earlier English caribo, both < Micmac γalipu derivative (agent noun) of γalipi- shovel snow < Proto-Algonquian *maka·lipi-; called the snow-shoveler from its habit of scraping aside snow with its front hoofs in search of food

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for caribou

Contemporary Examples of caribou

If you're weird and running for office there, the best place to start seems to be Caribou County.
Who Voted For Idaho's Weirdo Candidates For Governor?
Ben Jacobs
May 21, 2014
Caribou antlers protrude from the wood paneling on the walls with hollow gift-wrapped presents dangling from the dried bone.
Half of This Bar Is in Slovenia, the Other Half Is in Croatia
Jeff Campagna
January 6, 2014
I sent him some caribou jerky from Alaska to help keep up his strength on the Senate floor.
Nostalgia Act: The Great Sarah Palin Revival Tour of 2013
Nick Gillespie
June 18, 2013
Caribou Island: A Novel The acclaimed author of the short-story collection Legends of a Suicide returns with his debut novel.
This Week's Hot Reads
The Daily Beast
January 4, 2011

Historical Examples of caribou

A caribou had passed toward the larger lake that very morning.
The Long Labrador Trail
Dillon Wallace
Within three hours after we had first seen the caribou we were on our way again.
The Long Labrador Trail
Dillon Wallace
We crawled to our positions with the greatest care; but the caribou was alert.
The Long Labrador Trail
Dillon Wallace
They always abound where there are caribou, which form their main living.
The Long Labrador Trail
Dillon Wallace
We were with the fish again, and caribou and wolf tracks were seen.
The Long Labrador Trail
Dillon Wallace

British Dictionary definitions for caribou

caribou

noun plural -bou or -bous

a large deer, Rangifer tarandus, of Arctic regions of North America, having large branched antlers in the male and female: also occurs in Europe and Asia, where it is called a reindeerAlso called (Canadian): tuktu

Word Origin for caribou

C18: from Canadian French, of Algonquian origin; compare Micmac khalibu literally: scratcher

Caribou

noun

Canadian a mixed drink containing wine and grain alcohol

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

Word Origin and History for caribou

also cariboo, 1660s, from Canadian French caribou, from Micmac (Algonquian) kaleboo or a related Algonquian name, literally "pawer, scratcher," from its kicking snow aside to feed on moss and grass.