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Caliban

[ kal-uh-ban ]

noun

  1. a character in Shakespeare's The Tempest, described as the half-human native inhabitant of the island, who is enslaved by the character Prospero.


Caliban

/ ˈkælɪˌbæn /

noun

  1. a brutish or brutalized man


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Word History and Origins

Origin of Caliban1

First recorded in 1610–15; probably a variant of cannibal ( def ) or Carib ( def )

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Word History and Origins

Origin of Caliban1

C19: after a character in Shakespeare's The Tempest (1611)

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Example Sentences

He would then deliver the objects to John Schulman, the proprietor of Caliban’s book shop and an occasional expert on PBS’s Antique Roadshow, who would sell them.

Clegg first introduces himself to Miranda as Ferdinand, but she later dubs him Caliban.

And cruder devices certainly deepen the effect of a name; Caliban is a rough anagram of “cannibal,” and Cassio contains an “ass.”

With his jarring sinister performances—part art-rock, part bawdy Musical Hall—he became the Caliban/Quasimodo of Punk.

Caliban, Ariel, the love-scene—all belong to the highest creations of art.

The wild, uncouth Caliban, the wonderful flights of Ariel—these are creations of the first order.

Caliban led the way with young Dave, and Hale walked side by side with them while Bob was escort for the other two.

Dan was well hardened to her cajoleries by this time; he was confident that she would have made "sweet eyes at Caliban."

To one accustomed to the aspect of the normal American population, the Caliban type shows up with a frequency that is startling.

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Calicaliber