balaboosta

Alternative Spellings

balabooste, bala booste, bala boosta, balabuste, balebosta, baleboste, balabusta, balebuste, baleboosteh

Definitions

• 1) Female head of household 2) Impressively competent homemaker

Example Sentences

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

Languages of Origin

Textual Hebrew, Yiddish

Etymology

בעל־הביתטע bal(e)bóste, from Heb/Yiddish בעל־הבית bal(e)bós 'owner/master of the house'

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

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).

Notes

balabos / baleboss (בעל־הבית) with Yiddish feminine suffix -te (טע-). The textual Hebrew equivalent is בעלת הבית ba'alat habayit. Also a Middle Eastern restaurant in New York.