balaclava
pronunciation
How to pronounce balaclava in British English:
UK [ˌbæləˈklɑ:və]
How to pronounce balaclava in American English:
US [ˌbælə'klɑvə]
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- Noun:
- a cap that is close-fitting and woolen and covers all of the head but the face
Word Origin
- balaclava (n.)
- "woolen head covering," especially worn by soldiers, evidently named for village near Sebastopol, Russia, site of a battle Oct. 25, 1854, in the Crimean War. But the term (originally Balaclava helmet) does not appear before 1881 and seems to have come into widespread use in the Boer War. The British troops suffered from the cold in the Crimean War, and the usage might be a remembrance of that conflict. The town name (Balaklava) often is said to be from Turkish, but is perhaps folk-etymologized from a Greek original Palakion.
Example
- 1. My homemade balaclava weighs less than an ounce .
- 2. Wearing a yellow balaclava , a protester shows support for pussy riot in london .
- 3. In a recent concert in moscow , she donned a balaclava , wrote the band 's name on her back , and spoke out in their support .
- 4. You just made a balaclava .
- 5. To him all this strongly smelled of the battle of balaclava .