caboose means A small galley or cookhouse on the deck of a small vessel.
caboose is pronounced /kəˈbuːs/.
Why “caboose” is a great word
A small galley on a ship or, chiefly in North America, the last car on a freight train, historically providing cooking, sleeping, and office facilities for the crew. From Dutch *kabuis* or *kombuis*, or German Low German *Kabüüs*, all meaning "galley, kitchen," from Middle Dutch *cabûse* and Middle Low German *kabûs*, *kabûse* respectively; first attested in English in 1747 in the nautical sense. Unlike a "guard's van," which is a utilitarian compartment for observation and safety, or a "galley," which denotes a fixed maritime kitchen, a caboose carries the weight of habitation—a mobile, self-contained world appended to the commercial spine of freight. It is the cast-iron stove warming coffee at 3 a.m., the worn leather of the conductor's seat before a wide rear window, the solitary red lantern swinging from its hook at the end of a mile-long chain of cars. A caboose is terminus and sanctuary both, the final redoubt of human presence against the emptiness of rails receding into night.
Etymology
From Dutch kabuis, kombuis (“galley, kitchen”) or German Low German Kabüüs (“galley”), from Middle Dutch cabûse and Middle Low German kabûs, kabûse respectively.
Cognate with German Kabüse, Kombüse, Danish kabys, Swedish kabyss, French combuse (< Middle Dutch kabuys). Probably related to English boose (“a stall or shed”).
noun
- A small galley or cookhouse on the deck of a small vessel.
- A small sand-filled container used as an oven on board ship.“On the second day out, while sailing moderately on our course in the Gulf Stream, a sudden squall of wind struck the ship from the SW. and knocked her completely on her beam-ends, stove one of our boats, entirely destroyed two others, and threw down the cambouse.”
- The last car on a freight train, consisting of cooking and sleeping facilities for the crew; a guard’s van.
- The buttocks.“That's a pretty big caboose for a baby.”
- The person or team in last place.
- A youngest child who is born after a long gap in time.“Jimmy was seven and had just finished first grade, so that made Nancy our caboose baby — our bonus child — our swan song.”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- waycar 83% match — A crewed railroad car attached to the end of a freight train, serving as the conductor’s office, lookout (often via a cupola), and living quarters—equivalent to a caboose. Used chiefly in North America, historically. vs caboose →
- forecastle 78% match — A raised part of the upper deck at the front of a ship; the structure of this part of the ship; the crew's quarters located within it. vs caboose →
- stowaway 78% match — A person who hides on board a ship, train, etc. so as to get a free passage. vs caboose →
- freighthopping 77% match — The act of surreptitiously boarding and riding a railroad freight car. vs caboose →
- dumbwaiter 77% match — A small elevator used to move food etc. from one floor of a building to another. vs caboose →
- cahoots 77% match — Chiefly preceded by in: collaboration or collusion, chiefly for a nefarious reason. vs caboose →
- cabotage 77% match — The transport of goods or passengers between two points in the same country. vs caboose →
- companionway 77% match — A staircase or ladder from one deck to another on a ship. vs caboose →