Word Study
balaclava
CIDE DICTIONARY
balaclava, n.
close-fitting and woolen and covers all of the head but the face. [WordNet 1.5]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
balaclava, n. (in full Balaclava helmet) a tight woollen garment covering the whole head and neck except for parts of the face, worn orig. by soldiers on active service in the Crimean War.
Etymology
Balaclava in the Crimea, the site of a battle in 1854
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