caboose

caboose

English

Historic caboose on display in O'Fallon, Illinois

Alternative forms

• camboose

Etymology

From French cambuse, from Middle Dutch kabuys, kabuis (Modern Dutch kombuis (“galley; kitchen”)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kəˈbuːs/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uːs

Noun

caboose (plural cabooses)

1. (obsolete, nautical) A small galley or cookhouse on the deck of a small vessel.
2. (US, rail transport) The last car on a freight train, having cooking and sleeping facilities for the crew; a guard’s van.
3. (slang, baby-talk or euphemistic) buttocks
4. (slang, sports) The person or team in last place.

Synonyms

• (last car on train): guard's van (obsolete)

Translations

nautical: small galley

Finnish: kapyysi (fi) German: Kombüse (de) f

Russian: ка́мбуз (ru) m (kámbuz)

last car on a train

Finnish: jarruvaunu Russian: за́дний тормозно́й ваго́н m (zádnij tormoznój vagón), тормозно́й ваго́н сза́ди m (tormoznój vagón szádi)

Spanish: furgón de cola m, vagón de cola m

babytalk: buttocks

Dutch: achterste (nl) n, (Belgium) poep (nl) m Finnish: peppu (fi) German: Deutsch: Hintern (de) m

Russian: за́дница (ru) f (zádnica) Spanish: pompis (es) m, pompi (es) m, (Chile) poto (es) m, colita (es) f

sports: person or team in the last place

Finnish: peränpitäjä (fi), hännänhuippu (fi)

Russian: аутса́йдер (ru) m (autsájder)