Caribbean
/ˌkær.ɪˈbiː.ən/noun
Relating to the Caribbean Sea, its islands, or their peoples and cultures.
Did you know?The name ultimately traces back to the Carib/Kalinago peoples, and early European writers often linked them with cannibalism, helping turn an ethnonym into a colonial terror-word.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian
Arawakan
Karibna / Carib
“An ethnonym for the Carib/Kalinago peoples of the Lesser Antilles and nearby regions.”
15th–16th Century
Spanish
Caribe
“A Spanish form of the ethnonym, used for the Indigenous peoples encountered in the region.”
16th Century
Spanish
mar Caribe
“The Caribbean Sea, named after the Carib people.”
17th Century
French/English
Caribbee / Caribbean
“English and French forms applied to the sea and islands of the region.”
Modern English
English
Caribbean
“The region of the Caribbean Sea, its islands, and related peoples and cultures.”