Baikal

American  

[bahy-kahl] / baɪˈkɑl /

noun

1. Lake Baikal, a lake in the Russian Federation, in southern Siberia: the deepest lake in the world. 13,200 square miles (34,188 square kilometers); 5,714 feet (1,742 meters) deep.

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Baikal ¹ British  

/ baɪˈkɑːl, -ˈkæl /

noun

1. Russian name: Ozero Baykal.  a lake in Russia, in SE Siberia: the largest freshwater lake in Eurasia and the deepest in the world. Greatest depth: over 1500 m (5000 ft). Area: about 33 670 sq km (13 000 sq miles)

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Baikal ² British  

/ -ˈkæl, baɪˈkɑːl /

noun

1. a type of Russian-made handgun, designed to fire tear-gas cylinders but often modified to fire bullets

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Etymology

Origin of Baikal

First recorded in 1735–40; from Russian Baykál, from Buryat Bajgal (Nuur) “(Lake) Baikal”

Example Sentences

Russian authorities say divers have recovered the bodies of seven Chinese tourists and a Russian driver who died after their mini-bus plunged under the ice to the bottom of Lake Baikal in Siberia.

From BBC • Feb. 21, 2026

A new study appearing in Science Advances compares Pleistocene vegetation communities around Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia, to the oldest archeological traces of Homo sapiens in the region.

From Science Daily • Sep. 22, 2023

The Lena River, the world's 11th longest, originates near Lake Baikal in the Irkutsk region in southeastern Siberia and flows into the Arctic Ocean.

From Reuters • Jun. 13, 2023

One 74-year-old man, Yurii Senchuk, was among the first waiting at the river terminal on Sunday, alongside his dog, Baikal.

From Washington Post • Dec. 4, 2022

A few years ago, before the Iron Curtain closed down, word came out of Russia that some scientists had succeeded in getting heavy water samples out of Baikal.

From The Caves of Fear by Goodwin, Harold L. (Harold Leland)