balaboosta

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Pronunciations

balebuste (BAH-leh-BUHS-teh) listen

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Definitions

  • n. Female head of household.

  • n. Impressively competent homemaker.

Example Sentences

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

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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
      • Great Britain
      • South Africa
      • Australia / New Zealand
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      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

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.

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