Balmoral

American  

[bal-mawr-uhl, -mor-uhl] / bælˈmɔr əl, -ˈmɒr əl /

noun

1. a colored woolen petticoat, formerly worn under a skirt and draped so that portions of it could be seen.

2. Also called bal.  (lowercase) an ankle-high shoe, laced in front.

3. a brimless Scottish cap with a flat top that projects all around the head.

---

Balmoral ¹ British  

/ bælˈmɒrəl /

noun

1. a laced walking shoe

2. a 19th-century woollen petticoat, worn showing below the skirt

3. Also called: bluebonnet.  a Scottish brimless hat traditionally of dark blue wool with a cockade and plume on one side

---

Balmoral ² British  

/ bælˈmɒrəl /

noun

1. a castle in NE Scotland, in SW Aberdeenshire: a private residence of the British sovereign

---

Etymology

Origin of Balmoral

First recorded in 1855–60; after Balmoral Castle in Scotland

Example Sentences

The King warned, in a message recorded at Balmoral earlier this month, that his mother would have disapproved of the current state of the world.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

Designed by her dressmaker Norman Hartnell, the Queen first wore her Harris tweed jacket and Balmoral Tartan skirt in the 1950s.

From BBC • Dec. 26, 2025

The message, sent to Maxwell on 16 August 2001, begins: "I am up here at Balmoral Summer Camp for the Royal Family."

From BBC • Dec. 23, 2025

Fit for Sunday mornings at Balmoral, this one will weather decades of omelet service and crossword solving.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 20, 2025

Craig Castle is a small castle—I mean, compared to Edinburgh or Stirling Castles; or Balmoral, where the King lives in the summer; or Glamis, where the Queen’s family lives.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein