car⋅i⋅bou
[kar-uh-boo]
) -bou. | any of several large, North American deer of the genus Rangifer, related to the reindeer of the Old World. |
1665–75, Americanism; < CanF caribou, r. earlier E caribo, both < Micmac γalipu deriv. (agent n.) 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

Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Caribou
Car"i*bou\ (k[a^]r"[i^]*b[=oo]), n. [Canadian French.] (Zo["o]l.) The American reindeer, especially the common or woodland species (Rangifer Caribou). Barren Ground caribou. See under Barren. Woodland caribou, the common reindeer (Rangifer Caribou) of the northern forests of America.Cite This Source
caribou
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Caribou
city, Aroostook county, northeastern Maine, U.S. It lies along the Aroostook River, near the New Brunswick border, 13 miles (21 km) north of Presque Isle. Settled in 1824, it developed as a lumbering centre and was incorporated in 1859 as Lyndon. It was renamed Caribou in 1877 for the woodland caribou once plentiful in the region. The city is the shipping point for a large potato-growing region. Light industries produce potato-packing bags, automotive electronic control devices, and custom steel products. It serves as a gateway to Maine's Great North Woods and the Allagash outdoor recreation area. Caribou's Nylander Museum houses Indian artifacts, minerals, and geologic items collected by the Swedish-born naturalist and geologist Olaf Nylander. Caribou was the departure point for the first solo transatlantic balloon flight (1984). Inc. city, 1968. Pop. (1990) 9,415; (2000) 8,312.
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