balaboosta

Pronunciations

balaboosta (BAH-luh-BUUS-tuh) listen
Balaboosta (BAH-luh-BUHS-teh) listen

Definitions

  • n. A female head of household.

  • n. An impressively competent homemaker.

Example Sentences

  • "Such a balaboste--she can make Shabbos for 20 in one afternoon."

Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew
  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • Y בעל־הביתטע bal(e)boste, from TH בעל־הבית ba'al habayit 'owner/master of the house' with Yiddish feminine suffix ־טע '-te'

    • Who Uses This

      • Orthodox: Jews who identify as Orthodox and observe halacha (Jewish law)
      • Older: Jews who are middle-aged and older
      • Ashkenazim: Jews with Ashkenazi heritage

      Regions

      • North America
      • Australia / New Zealand
      • Great Britain
      • South Africa

      Dictionaries

      • The New Joys of Yiddish, by Leo Rosten and Lawrence Bush (New York, 2003[1968]).
      • Yiddish and English: A Century of Yiddish in America, by Sol Steinmetz (Tuscaloosa, 1986).
      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).
      • Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).

      Alternative Spellings

      balabooste, bala booste, bala boosta, balabuste, balebosta, baleboste, balabusta, balebuste, baleboosteh, Bala baya, Balabaya, balabuster, ballabuster

Notes

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