Meanings
plural zhaleikas
- A Russian (or broader Slavic) wind instrument with one or two pipes.
Zhaleika playing I cherish the zhaleika given to me by the self-taught craftsman as a precious souvenir.
1983, Culture and Life1 more example
We played music for hours: Polish folk songs; church music; and three songs I'd improbably adapted for our zhaleikas, "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" because my singing along to that record had caused more groans in our house than anything else, and "Your Song" and "Hey Jude." […] She put my instrument in my hands and she extracted her own zhaleika from the bag she'd carried mine in.
2011, Meg Waite Clayton, The Four Ms. Bradwells, Ballantine Books, →ISBN, pages 141 and 185
Origin
- Russianжале́йка
- Englishzhaleika
From Russian жале́йка (žaléjka).
More words from Russian
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
zhaleika. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zhaleika
“zhaleika.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zhaleika. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “zhaleika,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zhaleika.
Source: zhaleika on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.