Balkan

[ bawl-kuhn ]

adjective

1. pertaining to the Balkan States or their inhabitants.
2. pertaining to the Balkan Peninsula.
3. pertaining to the Balkan Mountains.

noun

1. the Balkans. Balkan States.

Balkan

/ ˈbɔːlkən /

adjective

1. of, denoting, or relating to the Balkan States or their inhabitants, the Balkan Peninsula, or the Balkan Mountains

Other Words From

• Balkan·ite noun adjective
• trans-Balkan adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Balkan¹

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

The UK will sign new agreements with western Balkan countries to tackle people-smuggling gangs, as part of efforts to bring down small boat crossings.

From BBC

Funds will in part be used to bolster work done by special prosecutors and operational partners in the Western Balkans.

From BBC

The stage was set for the kind of violent throwdown more often associated with decaying Balkan duchies or post-colonial dictatorships, at least until the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand intervened.

From Salon

This network, known as the Balkan route, has remained robust for the past half-century.

From Salon

The former first minister died suddenly from a heart attack in the Balkan country on Saturday at the age of 69.

From BBC