A caboose (also camboose, coboose, cubboos derived from the Middle Dutch kombuis) is a small ship's kitchen, or galley, located on an open deck. At one time a small kitchen was called a caboose if aboard a merchantman (or in Canada, on a timber raft), but a galley aboard a warship. The term was sometimes also applied to the cast-iron stove used for cooking on deck or in galleys during the early 19th century, as well as an outdoor oven or fireplace.