Caleb

C3A1L1E1B3
/ˈkeɪ.ləb/

proper noun

Caleb the son of Jephunneh, an Israelite who entered Canaan with Joshua.

OriginLate Latin Caleb ← Koine Greek Χάλεβ ← Biblical Hebrew כָּלֵב →
Less commonScrabble 9
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Meanings

proper nounCaleb (plural Calebs)

plural Calebs · alternative Kaleb

  1. biblicalCaleb the son of Jephunneh, an Israelite who entered Canaan with Joshua.

    Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.

    1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Numbers 14:30
  2. A male given name from Hebrew first used by Puritans.

    "My brother's name was Caleb Peck." "What a fine old-fashioned name," said Mrs. Tabor.

    1976, Anne Tyler, Searching for Caleb, Berkley Books,New York, published 1983, →ISBN, page 14

Origin

  1. Biblical Hebrewכָּלֵב
  2. Koine GreekΧάλεβ
  3. Late LatinCaleb
  4. EnglishCaleb

From Late Latin Caleb, Calebus, from Koine Greek Χάλεβ (Kháleb), from Biblical Hebrew כָּלֵב (Kālēḇ), possibly related to כֶּלֶב (keleḇ, “dog”), referring to the unconditional devotion of dogs to their masters.

More words from Late Latin, Koine Greek, Biblical Hebrew

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic كَالِب
  • كَالِب (kālib)biblical character
Danish Kaleb
  • Kalebbiblical character
French Caleb
  • Calebbiblical character
German Kaleb
  • Kalebbiblical character
Greek Χάλεβ
  • Χάλεβ (Chálev)biblical character
Hebrew כָּלֵב
  • כָּלֵב (kalév)biblical character
Italian Caleb
  • Calebbiblical character
Māori Karepe
  • Karepebiblical character
Norwegian Kaleb
  • Kalebbiblical character
Polish Kaleb
  • Kalebbiblical character
Portuguese Calebe
  • Calebebiblical character
Russian Халев, Калеб
  • Халев (Xalev)biblical character
  • Калеб (Kaleb)biblical character
Spanish Caleb
  • Calebbiblical character
Swedish Kaleb
  • Kalebbiblical character

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

cable
Cite this entry
APA

Caleb. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Caleb

MLA

“Caleb.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Caleb. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Caleb,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Caleb.

Source: Caleb on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.