A Bit of Spanish and the Origins of the Word Caboose

Trains Magazine General Discussion
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Dear everybody,
A few days ago, I ran across something interesting in my Spanish-English dictionary. In Spanish, the verb “acabar” means to end, to finish, or to put an end to (or, in some contexts, to run out). The next entry is “acabose” (with an accent mark over the o), which means ending, or finish. You will notice that “caboose” and “acabose” are fairly similar in spelling and connotation.

They may be completely unrelated, but I found it interesting nonetheless.

Sincerely,
Daniel Parks

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Sahabal escabeese? (Do you speak the end in Spanish?)

I must control myself. So very many bad jokes wi***o come jumping out…

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Also: Possibly from obsolete Dutch cabuse, (ships galley) from middle low German kabuse, and probably 15 other languages also.

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ca·boose (ka’-boos) n. 1. The last car on a freight train, having kitchen and sleeping facilities for the train crew. 2. Obsolete. a. A ship’s galley. b. Any of various cast-iron cooking ranges used in such galleys during the early 19th century. c. An outdoor oven or fireplace. [Possibly from obsolete Dutch cabuse, ship’s galley, from Middle Low German kabuse : perhaps *kab-, cabin Old French cabane; see CABIN + Middle High German hus, house.]

cal·a·boose (ka-la’-boos) n. Chiefly Southern U.S. Chiefly Western U.S. A jail. [Louisiana French calabouse, from Spanish calabozo, dungeon.]

from the American Heritage Dictionary

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In the early days of railroading when they wanted to name the end of the train, they just used the name of the female rear end…

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In Mexico they call it a cabús, pronounced exactly like the English word caboose, which is where it comes from.

cabús. (Del inglés caboose, que se pronuncia /cabús/.) m. Vagón de un tren de carga, enganchado atrás, para uso de los tripulantes

Regards

Ed

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Low German to Middle Dutch kabuys, kambuis, earlier kaban huis cabin house. (Webster’s New World Dictionary)
Also spelled camboose (Brittanica World Language Dictionary)
According to www.answers.com/caboose&r=67 Thomas Jefferson proposed distilling fresh water “on board of vessels at sea, by the common iron caboose…”