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.

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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)

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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

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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

"There is one human fossil from Siberia, although not from Lake Baikal but farther west, at a place called Ust'-Ishim," Goebel said.

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

We were carried across the frozen Baikal amid a furious snowstorm.

From The International Spy Being the Secret History of the Russo-Japanese War by Upward, Allen