bidarka

American  

[bahy-dahr-kuh] / baɪˈdɑr kə /

Sometimes bidara or baidarka

noun

1. a sealskin boat used by primarily by the Alaskan Aleuts.

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bidarka British  

/ baɪˈdɑːkiː, baɪˈdɑːkə /

noun

1. a canoe covered in animal skins, esp sealskin, used by the Inuit of Alaska

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Etymology

Origin of bidarka

First recorded in 1825–35; from Russian baĭdárka, equivalent to baĭdár(a) “kind of river craft” (apparently akin to baĭdák “river craft, barge,” Old Russian baidakŭ, bodakŭ, of obscure origin) + -ka diminutive suffix

Example Sentences

In reply to this the Aleut stooped down, went out of the door, and walked over to the bidarka, where it lay at the bank.

From The Young Alaskans by Hough, Emerson

He pointed to the bidarka at the edge of the lagoon.

From The Young Alaskans by Hough, Emerson

And it's frail looking, frail as an eggshell, yet I would stake a bidarka against a lifeboat in a surf.

From The Rim of the Desert by Anderson, Ada Woodruff

He pulled from the bidarka a shawl, marvelous of texture and color, and flung it about his mother's shoulders.

From Brown Wolf and Other Jack London Stories Chosen and Edited By Franklin K. Mathiews by London, Jack

Mr. Jimmy puts on his kamelinka, and gets in the bidarka and ties the hood around his waist, and there he is, no matter how high the sea runs.

From The Young Alaskans by Hough, Emerson