Etymology Map
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Caboose

3 stages from Middle Dutch to English.

Today it means the crew's car at the end of a freight train

Where does the word "caboose" come from? It comes from Middle Dutch kabuis, passing through English before entering English (1850s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
kabuis
Middle Dutch · medieval
"ship's galley"
a ship's galley or cooking cabin
2
Stage 2 of 3
caboose
English · 1740s
"ship's galley"
first a ship's galley
3
Stage 3 of 3
caboose
American English · 1850s
"rear train car"
transferred to the crew car at the rear of a freight train
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Caboose’s story begins in Middle Dutch: kabuis meant “ship's galley.” A ship's galley or cooking cabin. By 1740s, the word had taken hold in English as caboose. First a ship's galley. It reached English by 1850s as caboose. Transferred to the crew car at the rear of a freight train. Today, caboose means the crew's car at the end of a freight train.