See quotations.
1853. The patterns for the slippers, the bell-ropes, the cabas were selected, the slides and tassels for the purses chosen.—Charlotte Brontë, ‘Villette,’ chap. xxxiv.
1885. The origin of the word “caba” applying to the small hand-bag or satchel…. The French cabas, a frail basket, hand basket, &c., was used upon ladies’ work-boxes imported thirty years ago.—Boston Journal, Sept. 7. (N.E.D.)
1886. The Philadelphian to the manner born knows that “caba” is only another name for hand-bag, but the average New Yorker never heard it used, and would probably take the word to mean some new kind of infernal machine. [And a correspondent says it is in use throughout Pennsylvania, and is quite common in Baltimore and Washington.]—N.Y. Ev. Post, about Sept. 5.
*** See Notes and Queries, 2 S. vii. 85, 218.
