Definition
A jail or prison, especially a small local lockup; used particularly in the southern United States.
Etymology
From Spanish 'calabozo' (dungeon/jail), possibly derived from Arabic 'qabalah' or Greek 'kabalion.' This Spanish word entered English through contact in the American South and Southwest, where Spanish colonial influence was strong.
Kelly Says
The word 'calaboose' is pure American slang born from cultural mixing—it shows up in Wild West stories and folk songs, and it's one of the few English words that came from Spanish legal/architectural terminology!
Translations
CACatalà
calabossos
ka-la-bo-sos
CSČeština
cirkusová klece
tsir-kus-o-va kle-ce
DADansk
fængselscelle
fɛŋs-els-sel-e
DEDeutsch
Gefängniszelle
ɡɛˈfɛŋnɪsˌtsɛlɛ
ELΕλληνικά
φυλακί
fy-la-ki
ESEspañol
calabozo
ka-la-bo-so
FISuomi
vankila
van-ki-la
HUMagyar
börtöncella
börtön-cel-la
IDBahasa Indonesia
sel
sel
ITItaliano
gabbia
ɡa-b-bia
NLNederlands
gevangeniscel
ɣɛ-vɑː-nə-nis-sel
NONorsk
fengselscelle
fɛŋ-sels-sel-e
PLPolski
celula
tse-lu-la
PTPortuguês
celula
se-lu-la
RUРусский
камера
ka-me-ra
SVSvenska
fängelsecell
fän-gəl-se-sel
SWKiswahili
selula
se-lu-la
TAதமிழ்
கைதிகளுக்கான அறை
kai-thi-ga-la-n-a-ra-i
TEతెలుగు
ఖైదీ గది
kha-i-dee ga-di
TLTL
kalaboose
ka-la-boo-se
UKУкраїнська
cella
che-la
VITiếng Việt
nhà tù
nǎ tu