Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Any of several large reindeer native to northern North America.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. The American woodland reindeer, Rangifer caribou or R. tarandus, inhabiting northerly North America as far as the limit of trees, where it is replaced by the barren-ground reindeer, to which the name is also extended. It is a variety of the reindeer, and has never been domesticated, but is an object of chase for the sake of its flesh. Also spelled
carriboo . See cut on preceding page. - n. No fewer than 10 species of caribou have been described from North America, some being restricted to a comparatively limited area. Such are Rangifer terranovæ of Newfoundland and R. dawsoni from the Queen Charlotte Islands. The most eastern species is R. grœnlandicus from Greenland, the westernmost R. granti from the end of the Alaska peninsula.
Wiktionary
- n. Any of several North American subspecies of the reindeer, Rangifer tarandus.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Zoöl.) The American reindeer, especially the common or woodland species (Rangifer Caribou).
WordNet 3.0
- n. Arctic deer with large antlers in both sexes; called `reindeer' in Eurasia and `caribou' in North America
Etymologies
- From Canadian French caribou, from Mi'kmaq qalipu ("snow-shoveller"), from qalipi ("to shovel snow"), from Proto-Algonquian. (Wiktionary)
- Micmac ĝalipu (influenced by Canadian French caribou, also from Micmac), from Proto-Algonquin *mekālixpowa : *mekāl-, to scrape + *-ixpo-, snow. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“A large, stuffed, slain caribou is thrown in for dramatic effect.”
“I think I'm going to finally go on a big hunt, and I think a caribou is the way to go.”
“You know what they call caribou at the North Pole?”
“By far the single biggest danger to boreal woodland caribou is unregulated and uncoordinated oil, gas and tar sand development in western Canada, including the Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and North-West territories.”
“The fact that nobody goes there but caribou is beside the point.”
Democrats declare war on West Virginia. Again. - Moe_Lane’s blog - RedState
“Years ago, a friend told me about watching a hunter in caribou camp sight in a rifle built by South Carolina accuracy maven Kenny Jarrett:”
“On the best game animals for eating: There’s a lot of variability in caribou, but a great piece of caribou backstrap is better than anything in the world.”
“That's bout a bad as him drinkin caribou (reindeer blood on last night show.”
“Endemic to British Columbia and the Yukon, Osborn’s caribou is a reddish brown animal with a whitish lateral stripe and neck, and long and thick-beamed antlers that have semi-palmate brow and bez tines.”
“Known as caribou in North America, the hunting season was delayed this year due to concerns over the stability of the George River herd.”
The Huffington Post: Georgia River Reindeer Population Dramatically Dropping (PHOTOS)
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘caribou’.
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Very Silly Words
A list of very silly sounding words, as well as words that are fun to say
badot, gardyloo, dingbat, gaffer, kine, haberdashery, forsooth, whey-faced, hoddypeak, brouhaha, widdershins, decemnovenarianize and 115 more...
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Band or Brand?
Band names that are also common words or phrases.
genesis, who, beatles, journey, germs, sublime, doors, cars, nirvana, bangles, tool, pixies and 192 more...
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Deer
family Cervidae
45 specieswater chevrotain, alpine musk deer, Reeves' muntjac, Indian spotted ch..., fallow deer, axis deer, sambar, mule deer, white-tailed deer, marsh deer, Pere David's deer, red deer and 68 more...
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woody words
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T70-HTlKRXo
wood, caribou, hoops, gone, erogenous zone, boob, powder, bobcat, brobdingnagian, fulsome, corn, abacus and 5 more...
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2
kerniving, scandinavia, confectionary, mangrove, bejewelled, flesh, crystalline, gazelle, pantaloons, bluebird, caribou, albatross and 88 more...
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Car- Trouble
career, careen, carom, carnage, cartwheeling, carter, caribou, carabiner, caracara, caracole, carafe, carageenan and 29 more...
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Woody words
woodruff, woodwind, Woodstock, woodchuck, Sherwood, gorn, sausage, caribou, intercourse, pert, botty, thighs and 6 more...
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From the Algonquin et al.
Words derived from the innumerable languages of native Americans and the First Nations of Canada. I want to shine some light on this underexposed etymological background to so many common (and som...
raccoon, persimmon, mummichog, caucus, bayou, caribou, geoduck, chipmunk, skunk, opossum, moose, squash and 84 more...
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Meats: For All the Carnivores out There
Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!
Just kidding. Kind of.yak, wood pigeon, wild turkey, wild boar, venison, veal, turtle, turkey, squirrel, squab, snail, rattlesnake and 51 more...
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Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV
Words from the songs of Frank Black, a.k.a. Black Francis
zugzwang, valhalla, montalvo, ishist, tritons, mosh, siam, llano del rio, protohuman, tumbleweeds, ludwigshafen, ballyhoos and 349 more...
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Miscellany, pt. c
chokedamp, clitter, circumbendibus, catmint, cacoëpy, co-feoffee, caribou, conturbation, chalicothere, calamus, cochineal, cincture and 168 more...
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Alaska
Names of places, animals, plants, people, etc. found in and around Alaska.
koyukon, chinook, coho, sockeye, king salmon, chum, dog salmon, kipper, kelt, baggit, samlet, parr and 225 more...
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NakedFringe's Words
masticate, chamber, orchid, mandolin, yellow, pomegranate, conundrum, paradox, gyrate, calamitous, opalescent, cacophony and 533 more...
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Spelling Bee list 2011
Abalone, ablution, absolution, aboriginally, abstemious, academician, acclamation, accommodation, acculturation, acetic, acetone, acme and 590 more...
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Inner B
Words with the letter b within the word, not just as the initial or last letter.
remember, maybe, able, unable, nimble, cable, reusable, thimble, cymbal, capable, tremble, enable and 143 more...
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Stately Animals
Animals and birds of nations and states. Also see Stately Plants
lion, eagle, fennec fox, dragon, blue whale, magnificent friga..., cougar, kangaroo, emu, black eagle, orca whale, flamingo and 233 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for caribou.

she I but lament
this human form,
where I was born;
I now repent —
Cariboooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooou,
cariboooo-oooooooooooooooooooooooooo-ooooou Aug 3, 2008
andrew.simone I always think of the Pixies first album when I see this word. Dec 13, 2006