Meanings
balaclava1
plural balaclavas
- CanadaUKA ski mask with holes for the eyes and, sometimes, the nose and mouth, which may be rolled up and worn like a toque or pulled over the face for greater protection.
George Ronald Waite, 33, known as Balaclava Bill because of the dark blue woollen hood he wore while robbing seven banks of $46,200 over the past two years, was sentenced yesterday to 15 years in Kingston Penitentiary.
1969 January 10, “Robbed seven banks, Balaclava Bill given 15-year term in jail”, in Globe and Mail, Toronto, page 1
Balaclava2
- A town in St. Elizabeth parish, Jamaica.
- A locality in the Wingecarribee council area, south eastern New South Wales, Australia.
- A suburb of the City of Port Phillip, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- alternativeAlternative spelling of Balaklava
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA ski mask with holes for the eyes and, sometimes, the nose and mouth, which may be rolled up and worn like a toque or pulled over the face for greater protection.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna cap that is close-fitting and woolen and covers all of the head but the face
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
balaclava · noun
- Ottoman Turkishبالقلاوه
- Englishbalaclava
From the city of Balaklava in Crimea, from Ottoman Turkish بالقلاوه (modern Turkish balıklava), alteration of بالقلاغه (balıklaga, “fishing ground”). During the Crimean War the British troops suffered from cold due to improper clothing. When the news spread in the home front after the Battle of Balaclava in 1854, the people began knitting warm clothing for the soldiers, including woollen caps to be worn under the helmet, which were named balaclavas by the troops.
More words from Ottoman Turkish
Full word history & related roots →Balaclava · proper noun
- Ottoman Turkishبالقلاوه
- RussianБалакла́ва
- EnglishBalaclava
From Balaklava, from Russian Балакла́ва (Balakláva), from Ottoman Turkish بالقلاوه (balıklava), from بالقلاغه (balıklaga, “fishing ground”) * (Jamaica): From Balaklava or the Battle of Balaclava.
More words from Russian, Ottoman Turkish
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans balaklawamus, bivakmus
- balaklawamusheadgear
- bivakmusheadgear
Arabic نَسِيج صُوفِيّ, بَالَاكْلَافَا
- نَسِيج صُوفِيّ (nasīj ṣūfiyy)headgear
- بَالَاكْلَافَا (bālāklāfā)headgear
Bulgarian балакла́ва
- балакла́ва (balakláva)headgear
Catalan passamuntanyes
- passamuntanyesheadgear
Chinese Mandarin 巴拉克拉瓦, 頭套 /头套
- 巴拉克拉瓦 (bālākèlāwǎ)headgear
- 頭套 /头套 (tóutào)headgear
Czech kukla
- kuklaheadgear
Danish elefanthue
- elefanthueheadgear
Dutch bivakmuts, balaclava
- bivakmutsheadgear
- balaclavaheadgear
Esperanto skimasko, bivakĉapo
- skimaskoheadgear
- bivakĉapoheadgear
Finnish huppupipo, kommandopipo
- huppupipoheadgear
- kommandopipoheadgear
- kypäräpipoheadgear
- hiihtomaskiheadgear
French passe-montagne, cagoule
- passe-montagneheadgear
- cagouleheadgear
German Sturmhaube, Sturmmaske
- Sturmhaubeheadgear
- Sturmmaskeheadgear
- Skimaskeheadgear
- Biwakmützeheadgear
- Balaklavaheadgear
Greek κουκούλα
- κουκούλα (koukoúla)headgear
Hebrew בַּרְדָּס, בלקלאווה
- בַּרְדָּס (bardás)headgear
- בלקלאווה (balakláva)headgear
Hungarian símaszk
- símaszkheadgear
Irish balacláva
- balaclávaheadgear
Italian passamontagna, balaclava
- passamontagnaheadgear
- balaclavaheadgear
- balaklavaheadgear
Japanese 目出し帽, バラクラバ
- 目出し帽headgear
- バラクラバ (barakuraba)headgear
- バラクラヴァ (barakurava)headgear
Korean 발라클라바
- 발라클라바 (ballakeullaba)headgear
Māori pōtae uhi, pōtae pūāhuru
- pōtae uhiheadgear
- pōtae pūāhuruheadgear
Norwegian Bokmål balaklava, finlandshette
- balaklavaheadgear
- finlandshetteheadgear
Polish kominiarka
- kominiarkaheadgear
Portuguese balaclava
- balaclavaheadgear
Romanian cagulă
- cagulăheadgear
Russian балакла́ва, вя́заный шлем
- балакла́ва (balakláva)headgear
- вя́заный шлем (vjázanyj šlem)headgear
Slovak kukla
- kuklaheadgear
Spanish pasamontañas, papahígo
- pasamontañasheadgear
- papahígoheadgear
Swedish rånarluva, balaklava
- rånarluvaheadgear
- balaklavaheadgear
Thai โม่ง, ไอ้โม่ง
- โม่ง (môong)headgear
- ไอ้โม่งheadgear
Turkish balaklava, kar maskesi
- balaklavaheadgear
- kar maskesiheadgear
Ukrainian балакла́ва
- балакла́ва (balakláva)headgear
Welsh balaclafa
- balaclafaheadgear
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with balaclava
All rhymes →Cite this entry
balaclava. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/balaclava
“balaclava.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/balaclava. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “balaclava,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/balaclava.
Source: balaclava on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.