Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A thatched pyramidal wooden hut of eastern Siberia, raised on piles to a height of about 10 feet, and reached by a ladder consisting of a notched tree-stem.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a word for chaos or fiasco borrowed from modern Hebrew (where it is a loan word from Russian)

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

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Examples

  • The native Kamschatdales have two kinds of houses of indigenous architecture -- one for summer, the "balagan," and another to which they retire during the winter, called the "jourt."

    Bruin The Grand Bear Hunt Mayne Reid 1850

  • A gripping tale of all the balagan [chaos] that goes on in Ajami: relations between Jewish and Arab neighbours, West Bankers and Israeli Arabs, Christians and Muslims, and everything in between.

    Global Voices in English » Israel: “Ajami” Reveals Nuanced Look at Israeli Society 2009

  • I’m a major fan and multiyear devotee, despite the balagan of long lines and anxious ticket holders.

    2007 July | Jewschool 2007

  • I’m a major fan and multiyear devotee, despite the balagan of long lines and anxious ticket holders.

    Report from the original Film Fest | Jewschool 2007

  • So far, this is a case where I hope gay-rights activists and true liberals -- those who believe in liberty -- will take a deep breath before joyfully exploiting the bathroom balagan as an additional reason to oppose the Senator.

    What's the Connection?: Hypocrisy Redux Debra W. Haffner 2007

  • The Sandmonkey has made a very interesting post about the current balagan mess and the comments are also very worth a read.

    Archive 2006-06-01 Yael K 2006

  • ***The censors now allow the following: There was an almost balagan.

    Archive 2006-04-01 Yael K 2006

  • Work was a balagan on so many levels but I'll only discuss one of them and that is that I had to cancel my class because the powerpoint projector wouldn't work on any of the computers available and what they needed to see to understand was on the powerpoint.

    Archive 2006-05-01 Yael K 2006

  • Because of the attack on the Pentagon, the whole area was in such balagan that he could not get through to me on that line.

    Remembering what was lost September 11 2001 Yael K 2006

  • Step-by-Step: Making Aliyah to Israel: What a balagan!

    What a balagan! Yael K 2006

Comments

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  • This word’s etymology (according to WeirdNet—compare with the CDC’s definition) is aptly confused.

    October 2, 2011

  • The prescriptivist fights, and he shall again,

    Against the descriptivist’s balagan.

    He’ll rage and defame

    In the conference game

    But ‘tweentimes he’ll make him a pal again.

    October 18, 2017