balaboosta

Pronunciations

balebuste

(BAH-leh-BUHS-teh)

Definitions

• n. Female head of household.
  

• n. Impressively competent homemaker.
  

Example Sentences

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

Languages of Origin

• Textual Hebrew
• Yiddish

Etymology

• Yiddish בעל־הביתטע bal(e)boste (masc. בעל־הבית bal(e)bos), from Hebrew בעל־הבית ba'al habayit '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).
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Alternative Spellings

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