Meanings
- A freshwater lake in Hungary, the largest lake in Central Europe, and one of the region's foremost tourist destinations.
The surface of the Balaton and the surrounding marshes is not less than 24 German square miles, or 384 English square miles; its principal feeder is the Szala, but all the water it receives appears inconsiderable relatively to its superficial extent, and the quantity lost in evaporation.
1827, Conrad Malte-Brun, Universal Geography, or A Description of All the Parts of the World, on a New Plan, Edinburgh: Adam Black, volume 6, book 101, 285
Origin
- HungarianBalaton
- EnglishBalaton
From Hungarian Balaton. Ultimately from a Slavic word for “mud; swamp”; compare Old Church Slavonic блато (blato).
More words from Hungarian
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian Балато́н
- Балато́н (Balatón)a lake in Hungary
German Balaton, Plattensee
- Balatona lake in Hungary
- Plattenseea lake in Hungary
Greek Μπάλατον
- Μπάλατον (Bálaton)a lake in Hungary
Hungarian Balaton
- Balatona lake in Hungary
Latin Pelso
- Pelsoa lake in Hungary
Russian Балато́н
- Балато́н (Balatón)a lake in Hungary
Slovak Balaton, Blatenské jazero
- Balatona lake in Hungary
- Blatenské jazeroa lake in Hungary
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
Balaton. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Balaton
“Balaton.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Balaton. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Balaton,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Balaton.
Source: Balaton on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.