Everyday lifeFrom names to words

balaclava

Balaklava is a harbour in Crimea whose Turkic name meant 'fishing ground'. After the 1854 battle there, the knitted woollen hoods sent to freezing British troops took the town's name — and the word later came back to Russian for a ski mask.

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The road to English

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From English to Russian

1500Ottoman Turkish

Hops are evenly spaced; labels show the year each form is first attested.

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