caribou

C3A1R1I1B3O1U1
US/ˈkæɹəbu/UK/ˈkærɪbuː/

noun

Any of several North American subspecies Rangifer tarandus of the reindeer.

Similar
reindeerGreenland caribouRangifer tarandus
OriginCanadian French caribou ← Mi'kmaq qalipu ← Proto-Algonquian *maka·lipowa →
Less commonScrabble 11
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Meanings

caribou1

nouncaribou (plural caribous or caribou)

plural caribous

  1. Any of several North American subspecies Rangifer tarandus of the reindeer.

Caribou2

proper noun
  1. A rural area of Pictou County, Nova Scotia, Canada.
  2. A census-designated place in Plumas County, California, United States.
  3. A ghost town in Boulder County, Colorado.
  4. A city in Aroostook County, Maine.
  5. A township and unincorporated community in Kittson County, Minnesota.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounArctic deer with large antlers in both sexes; called ‘reindeer’ in Eurasia and ‘caribou’ in North America

Similar
reindeerGreenland caribouRangifer tarandus
Broader
deercervid
Also see
greenland cariboureindeer

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Algonquian*maka·lipowa“caribou”
  2. Mi'kmaqqalipu“caribou”; compare <i class="Latn mention" lang="mic">qalipi</i>, “to shovel snow”
  3. Canadian Frenchcaribou
  4. Englishcaribou

Borrowed from Canadian French caribou, from Mi'kmaq qalipu (“caribou”; compare qalipi, “to shovel snow”), from Proto-Algonquian *maka·lipowa (“caribou”, literally “it shovels snow”).

More words from Canadian French, Mi'kmaq, Proto-Algonquian

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans kariboe
  • kariboeNorth American reindeer
Bulgarian кари́бу, се́верен еле́н
  • кари́бу (karíbu)North American reindeer
  • се́верен еле́н (séveren elén)North American reindeer
Catalan caribú
  • caribúNorth American reindeer
Chinese Mandarin 馴鹿 /驯鹿
  • 馴鹿 /驯鹿 (xùnlù)North American reindeer
Danish karibu
  • karibuNorth American reindeer
Dutch kariboe
  • kariboeNorth American reindeer
Esperanto karibuo, boaco
  • karibuoNorth American reindeer
  • boacoNorth American reindeer
Estonian karibu, karibuu
  • karibuNorth American reindeer
  • karibuuNorth American reindeer
Finnish karibu
  • karibuNorth American reindeer
French caribou
  • caribouNorth American reindeer
German Karibu
  • KaribuNorth American reindeer
Greek καναδικός τάρανδος
  • καναδικός τάρανδος (kanadikós tárandos)North American reindeer
Hawaiian kukukū
  • kukukūNorth American reindeer
Irish carabú
  • carabúNorth American reindeer
Italian caribù
  • caribùNorth American reindeer
Japanese カリブー
  • カリブー (karibū)North American reindeer
Malay karibu
  • karibuNorth American reindeer
Polish karibu
  • karibuNorth American reindeer
Portuguese caribu
  • caribuNorth American reindeer
Romanian caribu, karibu
  • caribuNorth American reindeer
  • karibuNorth American reindeer
Russian кари́бу, се́верный оле́нь
  • кари́бу (karíbu)North American reindeer
  • се́верный оле́нь (sévernyj olénʹ)North American reindeer
Slovak karibu
  • karibuNorth American reindeer
Spanish caribú, reno
  • caribúNorth American reindeer
  • renoNorth American reindeer
Swedish ren
  • renNorth American reindeer
Tagalog karibu
  • karibuNorth American reindeer
Turkish karibu
  • karibuNorth American reindeer
Ukrainian кари́бу
  • кари́бу (karýbu)North American reindeer

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

boricua
Cite this entry
APA

caribou. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/caribou

MLA

“caribou.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/caribou. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “caribou,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/caribou.

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