'Caribbean' originates from Spanish and English, specifically the Spanish word 'Caribe' and the English form 'Carib', where 'Carib' referred to the indigenous Carib people of the Lesser Antilles.

'Caribbean' changed from the Spanish word 'Caribe' (and English 'Carib' borrowing that form) and eventually became the modern English word 'Caribbean' in Early Modern English usage referring to the sea, islands, and peoples.

Initially, it primarily referred to the Carib people; over time it broadened to mean the islands, the sea, and the cultures of that region.