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caboose

caboose

1 9.4
A small kitchen on a ship where the cook prepares meals
  • noun
  • /kəˈbuːs/
  • Archaic
translation icon : cocina
  • The chef prepared dinner in the caboose aboard the old sailing ship.

Examples

  • On the vintage vessel, the caboose was the perfect spot for making fresh bread.

  • "I said, 'Sorry, that's not right.' He said, 'Well, I'm sure it's right.' And he took down the Oxford English Dictionary and showed me that in England 'caboose' means a ship's kitchen.

    Blog text (23)
  • During the renovation, they discovered the caboose was equipped with an antique oven.

Synonyms

galley
vscaboose
29 5.3

The kitchen on a ship, plane, or train where food is prepared

is smaller and mainly on older sailing vessels rather than modern vehicles
cookhouse
vscaboose
  • Archaic
1 6.0

A building where people make and cook food for a group, for example on a ship or in a camp

is aboard ships and is a small onboard cooking area not a separate building
ship's galley
vscaboose
  • Specialized
1 4.4

A kitchen on a ship where food is prepared and cooked

is a smaller, older ship kitchen used especially on sailing vessels
cookshack
vscaboose
  • US
7.5

A small building used for cooking food outdoors for workers

is a small enclosed ship cooking area rather than an outdoor shed

Compounds

old caboose
  • Archaic
1 9.1

The last car on a freight train that used to be a small home or office for the crew

Surface Forms

caboose singular
cabooses plural

Etymology

The word caboose originally meant a small kitchen on a ship. It comes from the Dutch word kombuis meaning 'kitchen' or 'galley', so a caboose was the place where sailors cooked and ate.