Dictionary

Balkans en · PROPN

Pronunciation

• /ˈbɒl.kənz/ (UK)
• /ˈbɑl.kənz/ (US)
• /ˈbɔːl.kənz/ (UK)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈbɔl.kənz/ (US)

Etymology

Of Turkic origin; compare Turkish balkan (“wooded mountain range”). Probably unrelated to balk (“ridge of land”).

Meanings

1. (plural, plural-only) A cultural region and peninsula in Southeastern Europe, roughly equivalent to the area covered by Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, sometimes including Romania, Moldova, Hungary, Slovenia, and European Turkey.
   • As the Ottomans' victories in the Balkans multiplied, increasing numbers of Anatolian warriors flocked to their ranks, and their territorial conquests grew. 2002, Dennis P. Hupchick, The Balkans: From Constantinople to Communism, page 104:
   • The Balkans is still comparatively less attractive than other post-communist countries in Europe [...] 2015, Anastas Vangeli, “On the Growing Cooperation Between China and the Western Balkans”, in Nikolaos Papakostas, Nikolaos Pasamitros, editors, An Agenda for the Western Balkans: From Elite Politics to Social Sustainability, Stuttgart, page 182:

Forms

Deriveds

Balkan · Balkanism · Balkanization · Balkanize

Relateds

Balkanic · Balkanian · Paleo-Balkan

Synonyms

Balkan Peninsula

Translations (86)

mr बाल्कन (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · ckb بالکان (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · io Balkan (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · tr Balkanlar (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · de Balkan (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · ga na Balcáin (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · szl Bałkany (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · ace Balkan (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · cs Balkán (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · eo Balkanio (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · mk Балкан (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · lt Balkanai (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · lad Balkanos (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · kk Балқандар (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · uk Балка́ни (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · sh Ба̀лка̄н (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · id Balkan (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · ru Балка́ны (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · cmn 巴爾幹半島 /巴尔干半岛 (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · el Βαλκάνια (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · fi Balkan (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · sv Balkan (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · sk Balkán (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · lmo Balcan (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · arz البلقان (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · pt Bálcãs (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · mg Balkana (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · it Balcani (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · sh Bàlkān (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · pl Bałkany (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · ja バルカン半島 (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · acw الْبَلْقَان f) (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · es Balcanes (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · sl Balkán (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · ota بالقان (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · ps بالکان (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · be Балка́ны (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · ro Peninsula Balcanică (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · cmn 巴爾幹 /巴尔干 (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · ms Balkan (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · hu Balkán (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · ia Balkanes (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · sw Balkani (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · pa ਬਾਲਕਨ (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · hi बाल्कन (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · bg Балка́ни (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · sq Ballkan (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · pnb بلقان (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · gl Balcáns (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · br Balkanioù (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · te బాల్కన్లు (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · bn বলকান (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · et Balkan (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · ca Balcans (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · th บอลข่าน (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · nb Balkan (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · oc Balcans (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · lb Balkan (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · sc Balcanos (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · ast Balcanes (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · fa بالکان (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · mzn بالکان (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · pt Balcãs (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · da Balkan (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · hy Բալկաններ (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · grc Χερσόνησος τοῦ Αἵμου (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · sah Балкаан (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · fr Balkans (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · lv Balkāni (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · nn Balkan (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · ko 발칸반도 (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · cy Balcanau (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · eu Balkanak (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · az Balkanlar (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · jam Balkans (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · ro Balcani (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · vi Balkan (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · am ባልካኖች (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · he הבלקן (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · af Balkan (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · ml ബാൾക്കൻ (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · ka ბალკანეთი (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · ar الْبَلْقَان (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · ur بَلْقان (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · nl Balkan (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula) · jv Balkan (geographical region in the southeast of Europe — see also Balkan Peninsula)