Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “calaboose” come from?

calaboose (English) comes from Cajun French calabousse, from Spanish calabozo, from Latin calafodium.

calaboose (English): A prison or jail/gaol

Definitions

  1. A prison or jail/gaol

Ancestry of “calaboose”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Cajun Frenchcalabousse—
2Spanishcalabozodungeon; prison, jail; prison cell
3Latincalafodium—

Words derived from “calaboose”

  • kalabus
  • kanapus
Every word from Latin calafodium →