caribou

[ kar-uh-boo ]

noun,plural car·i·bous, (especially collectively) car·i·bou.
  1. any of several large, North American deer of the genus Rangifer, related to the reindeer of the Old World.

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Origin of caribou

1
An Americanism first recorded in1665–75; from Canadian French caribou, replacing earlier English caribo, both from Mi'kmaq γalipu derivative (agent noun) of γalipi- “shovel snow,” from unattested Proto-Algonquian maka·lipi-; called the snow-shoveler from its habit of scraping aside snow with its front hoofs in search of food

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How to use caribou in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for caribou (1 of 2)

caribou

/ (ˈkærɪˌbuː) /


nounplural -bou or -bous
  1. a large deer, Rangifer tarandus, of Arctic regions of North America, having large branched antlers in the male and female: also occurs in Europe and Asia, where it is called a reindeer: Also called (Canadian): tuktu

Origin of caribou

1
C18: from Canadian French, of Algonquian origin; compare Micmac khalibu literally: scratcher

British Dictionary definitions for Caribou (2 of 2)

Caribou

/ (ˈkærɪˌbuː) /


noun
  1. Canadian a mixed drink containing wine and grain alcohol

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