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Glite Dictionary
Caribbean

Caribbean

2.3
A region of islands and sea near Central and South America
  • noun
  • /ˌkærɪˈbiːən/
translation icon : caribe
  • Hurricane Irma caused widespread destruction in the Caribbean, affecting many island nations.

I had connections in the Caribbean, in Africa, obviously Europe.

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Examples

  • Sugar apple is native to the Caribbean and the surrounding tropical Americas.

  • My favorite things to cook at home would be Caribbean food and Asian food.

  • There were efforts to get more insurance to Caribbean countries.

  • But we spoke English and we took part in the Caribbean side of things with the British.

  • I had connections in the Caribbean, in Africa, obviously Europe.

    Dodge Woodall

  • We have seen that the GDP of Latin America in the Caribbean has increased.

    WIRED

  • But he was a great ambassador for the Caribbean populations.

  • Hurricane Irma wrecked havoc across the Caribbean, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.

  • Many tourists plan their vacations around the beautiful beaches of the Caribbean islands.

  • The vibrant culture of music and dance in the Caribbean attracts visitors from all over the world.

Synonyms

West Indies
vsCaribbean
4 3.0

A group of islands in the Caribbean with warm weather and beaches

includes those islands plus the sea and nearby mainland coasts
the Indies
vsCaribbean
4.7

A group of islands in the Caribbean popular with tourists

covers the same islands but also names the wider sea and coastal areas

Compounds

Caribbean island
8 2.3

An island in the Caribbean Sea known for warm weather and beaches

Caribbean Sea
1 1.1

A large sea of the Atlantic between the Caribbean islands, Central America, and northern South America

Caribbean language
  • Specialized
9.0

A group of languages spoken by the native Carib people in South America and the Caribbean

Caribbean time
  • UK
7.7

A relaxed approach to schedules where people often arrive late

Surface Forms

Caribbean singular
Caribbeans plural

Morphology

Caribbean = Carib (semi-transparent) = Carib + ean

Formed by the ethnonym 'Carib' plus the productive suffix '-ean'; morphological formation is regular but only helpful if a learner knows the ethnonym or that it's a place name derived from a people.

Etymology

Caribbean comes from the name of the Carib people who lived on the islands and by the sea. So the name originally meant 'land of the Caribs', which is why today Caribbean refers to that region of islands, the sea, and the nearby coasts.