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- DictionaryCal·a·boose/ˈkaləˌbo͞os/
noun
- 1. a prison. informal US
noun. cal· a· boose ˈka-lə-ˌbüs. Synonyms of calaboose. : jail. especially : a local jail. Did you know? Calaboose had been part of the English language for almost a century when John S. Farmer included the term in his 1889 book Americanisms—Old & New, defining it as "the common gaol or prison."
Calaboose definition: jail; prison; lockup.. See examples of CALABOOSE used in a sentence.
noun. Chiefly Regional. A place for the confinement of persons in lawful detention: brig, house of correction, jail, keep, penitentiary, prison. Informal: lockup, pen. Slang: big house, can, clink, cooler, coop, hoosegow, joint, jug, pokey, slammer, stir. The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus.
Synonyms for CALABOOSE: jail, penitentiary, prison, brig, stockade, hoosegow, slammer, bridewell; Antonyms of CALABOOSE: outside.
4 days ago · calaboose in British English. (ˈkæləˌbuːs ) noun. US informal. a prison; jail. Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers. Word origin. C18: from Creole French, from Spanish calabozo dungeon, of unknown origin.
Sep 28, 2017 · calaboose (n.)"prison, a common jail or lock-up," 1792, Western and Southwestern American English, from Louisiana French calabouse, from Spanish calabozo "dungeon," probably from Vulgar Latin *calafodium, from pre-Roman *cala "protected place, den" + Latin fodere "to dig" (see fossil).
A complete guide to the word "CALABOOSE": definitions, pronunciations, synonyms, grammar insights, collocations, examples, and translations.
Jun 2, 2024 · calaboose (plural calabooses) (US, Australia, dialect) A prison or jail/gaol. Synonyms: see Thesaurus: prison, Thesaurus: jail
What does calaboose mean? calaboose ( English) Origin & history. from French calabouse, from Spanish calabozo. Noun. calaboose ( pl. calabooses) ( US, Australia, dialect) A prison or jail / gaol. 1883, Mark Twain, Life on the Mississippi, Boston: James R. Osgood & Co., Chapter 56, [1]
The earliest known use of the noun calaboose is in the late 1700s. OED's earliest evidence for calaboose is from 1797, in the writing of F. Baily. calaboose is a borrowing from Louisiana French Creole.
