balalaika

[ bal-uh-lahy-kuh ]

/ ˌbæl əˈlaɪ kə /

noun

a Russian musical instrument having a triangular body and a neck like that of a guitar.

Nearby words

balaguer, balak, balakirev, balaklava, balakovo, balalaika, balance, balance beam, balance bridge, balance control, balance lug

Origin of balalaika

1780–90; < Russian balaláĭka, equivalent to balalaĭ-, probably originally a v. base, akin to balabólitʾ, balákatʾ chatter, talk nonsense (compare Russian dial., Ukrainian balabáĭka balalaika), expressive derivatives of Slavic *bay- speak, tell, akin to fate, -phasia + -ka noun suffix

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for balalaika

The porter Yermolay passed him with his balalaika, glanced at him and shrugged his shoulders.
The Schoolmistress and Other Stories|Anton Chekhov
The women played one after the other on the balalaika, and then sang in chorus.
Travels in the Steppes of the Caspian Sea, the Crimea, the Caucasus, &c.|Xavier Hommaire de Hell
And from every saddle dangled a balalaika and the terrible Cossack whip.
The Crimson Tide|Robert W. Chambers
The sound of music came from somewhere outside, notes of the balalaika.
The Secret of the Night|Gaston Leroux

Rouletabille listened to the voice dying away with the last sob of the balalaika.
The Secret of the Night|Gaston Leroux

British Dictionary definitions for balalaika

balalaika

/ (ˌbæləˈlaɪkə) /

noun

a plucked musical instrument, usually having a triangular body and three strings: used chiefly for Russian folk music

Word Origin for balalaika

C18: from Russian

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for balalaika

balalaika

stringed instrument with a triangular body, 1788, from Russian balalaika, said to be related to balabolit' "to chatter, babble," an imitative word.