Baikal

American  

[bahy-kahl] / baɪˈkɑl /

noun

1. Lake Baikal, a lake in the Russian Federation, in southern Siberia: the deepest lake in the world. 13,200 square miles (34,188 square kilometers); 5,714 feet (1,742 meters) deep.

---

Baikal ¹ British  

/ baɪˈkɑːl, -ˈkæl /

noun

1. Russian name: Ozero Baykal.  a lake in Russia, in SE Siberia: the largest freshwater lake in Eurasia and the deepest in the world. Greatest depth: over 1500 m (5000 ft). Area: about 33 670 sq km (13 000 sq miles)

---

Baikal ² British  

/ -ˈkæl, baɪˈkɑːl /

noun

1. a type of Russian-made handgun, designed to fire tear-gas cylinders but often modified to fire bullets

---

Etymology

Origin of Baikal

First recorded in 1735–40; from Russian Baykál, from Buryat Bajgal (Nuur) “(Lake) Baikal”

Example Sentences

In late January, a Chinese tourist died after a car he was travelling overturned on the frozen surface of Lake Baikal.

From BBC • Feb. 21, 2026

A new study appearing in Science Advances compares Pleistocene vegetation communities around Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia, to the oldest archeological traces of Homo sapiens in the region.

From Science Daily • Sep. 22, 2023

The fishery museum on Lake Baikal, a wooden building that has partly subsided into the water, is officially closed.

From New York Times • Aug. 6, 2023

One 74-year-old man, Yurii Senchuk, was among the first waiting at the river terminal on Sunday, alongside his dog, Baikal.

From Washington Post • Dec. 4, 2022

"Can't you just imagine those beautiful structures filled with the monsters created by the genius of Sitsumi and the Three—and their as yet unknown lieutenants back at Lake Baikal?"

From Lords of the Stratosphere by Burks, Arthur J.