babushka
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Russian ба́бушка (bábuška, “grandmother, granny”), diminutive of ба́ба (bába, “old woman”).
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /bəˈbuːʃ.kə/
Noun
babushka (plural babushkas)
- An old woman.
- A stereotypical Eastern European peasant grandmother type figure
- A woman’s headscarf, tied under the chin.
- 1982, TC Boyle, Water Music, Penguin 2006, p. 78:
- The crowd falls silent, momentarily stunned, while a heavyset woman in a babushka pushes her way through, broadcasting the news […].
- 1982, TC Boyle, Water Music, Penguin 2006, p. 78:
- Russian doll, matryoshka
Usage notes
- Note that the Russian term ба́бушка (bábuška, “grandmother, granny; old woman”) doesn't have the sense "Russian doll, matryoshka" or "woman’s headscarf".
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