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cab·in

(kăbĭn)

1. A small, roughly built house or shelter.

2. Nautical

a. A room in a ship used as living quarters by an officer or passenger.

b. An enclosed compartment in a boat that serves as a shelter or as living quarters.

3. The enclosed space in an aircraft or spacecraft for the crew, passengers, or cargo.

tr. & intr.v. cab·ined, cab·in·ing, cab·ins

To confine or live in or as if in a small space or area.

[Middle English caban, from Old French cabane, from Old Provençal cabana, from Late Latin capanna.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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