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calaboose

[ kal-uh-boos, kal-uh-boos ]
/ ˈkæl əˌbus, ˌkæl əˈbus /
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noun Slang.

jail; prison; lockup.

RELATED WORDS

penitentiary, cooler, pokey, prison, clink, slammer, hoosegow, brig, can, coop, jail, joint, tank, icebox, lockup

Nearby words

  1. calabar bean,
  2. calabash,
  3. calabaza,
  4. calabazilla,
  5. calabogus,
  6. calabrasella,
  7. calabrese,
  8. calabria,
  9. calabrian,
  10. caladium

Origin of calaboose

1785–95, Americanism; (< North American F) < Spanish calabozo dungeon, of obscure origin
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

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British Dictionary definitions for calaboose

calaboose

/ (ˈkæləˌbuːs) /

noun

US informal a prison; jail

Word Origin for calaboose

C18: from Creole French, from Spanish calabozo dungeon, of unknown origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for calaboose

calaboose

n.

"prison," 1792, 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).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper