Balkan

[bawl-kuh n]

adjective

pertaining to the Balkan States or their inhabitants.
pertaining to the Balkan Peninsula.
pertaining to the Balkan Mountains.

noun

the Balkans. Balkan States.

Origin of Balkan

First recorded in 1825–35

Related formsBal·kan·ite, noun, adjectivetrans-Bal·kan, adjective

Balkan States

plural noun

the countries in the Balkan Peninsula: Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Greece, and the European part of Turkey.

Also called the Balkans.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for balkans

Contemporary Examples

As in the Balkans 20 years ago, the effort to preserve “recognized international borders” is already a dead letter.
Arab Kings vs. ISIS Barbarians
Christopher Dickey
September 23, 2014
The Germans, in turn, sold the Allied equipment to pro-Nazi groups in the Balkans.
On the Trail of Nazi Counterfeiters
Dr. Kevin C. Ruffner
September 20, 2014
When the U.S. did intervene militarily, such as in the Balkans, air power was the only real approach considered palatable.
Black Hawk Down’s Long Shadow
Daniel Klaidman
October 9, 2013
Ignore the clumsy comparisons of the Syria War and the Balkans War.
No One Understands Syria, But Everyone Is Choosing Sides
Michael Moynihan
September 4, 2013
Krauthammer called Clinton naive for expending blood and treasure to protect human rights and self-determination in the Balkans.
‘Neoconservative’ Needs to Be Retired. Why Not Try ‘Imperialist’?
Peter Beinart
June 5, 2013

Historical Examples

Remind me of the people who live about the foothills of the Balkans.
The Underdog
F. Hopkinson Smith
Then Fenton had gone to the Balkans, on a flying trip in every sense of the word.
It Happened in Egypt
C. N. Williamson
From the heights of the lower Balkans—as at Sopot—we could see the horizon red.
The Making Of A Novelist
David Christie Murray
The Balkans are apt to have strange effects on the traveller.
Bulgaria
Frank Fox
So far, then, the answer to the question, "Why are the Balkans so often at war?"
Bulgaria
Frank Fox

British Dictionary definitions for balkans

Balkan

adjective

of, denoting, or relating to the Balkan States or their inhabitants, the Balkan Peninsula, or the Balkan Mountains

Balkan States

pl n

the countries of the Balkan Peninsula: the former Yugoslavian Republics, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Greece, and the European part of TurkeyAlso called: the Balkans

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 balkans

Balkans

probably from Turkic balkan "mountain."

balkans in Culture

Balkans

Major mountain range of the Balkan Peninsula, extending from the eastern portion of the former Yugoslavia through central Bulgaria to the Black Sea.

Balkan

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}Balkan

Balkan States

Examples from the Web for balkans

Contemporary Examples

As in the Balkans 20 years ago, the effort to preserve “recognized international borders” is already a dead letter.

The Germans, in turn, sold the Allied equipment to pro-Nazi groups in the Balkans.

When the U.S. did intervene militarily, such as in the Balkans, air power was the only real approach considered palatable.

Ignore the clumsy comparisons of the Syria War and the Balkans War.

Krauthammer called Clinton naive for expending blood and treasure to protect human rights and self-determination in the Balkans.

Historical Examples

Remind me of the people who live about the foothills of the Balkans.

Then Fenton had gone to the Balkans, on a flying trip in every sense of the word.

From the heights of the lower Balkans—as at Sopot—we could see the horizon red.

The Balkans are apt to have strange effects on the traveller.

So far, then, the answer to the question, "Why are the Balkans so often at war?"

Balkan

Balkan States

Word Origin and History for balkans

Balkans

Balkans

Origin of Balkan