babushka
4 synonyms and 0 antonyms for babushka, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — A Russian grandmother, or an elderly Russian woman.
Synonyms
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. noun
A Russian grandmother, or an elderly Russian woman.
“The babushkas sat on the bench outside the block all afternoon.”
How to use babushka
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
The headscarf sense is chiefly American and is unknown in Russian, where the word only means grandmother. Stress in Russian falls on the first syllable, BAH-boosh-kuh, though English speakers usually stress the second.
Etymology
From Russian babushka 'grandmother', a diminutive of baba 'old woman'.
Full origin of babushka →Frequently asked questions
Does babushka mean grandmother or headscarf?
In Russian it means only grandmother. English picked up the second meaning because of the headscarves associated with older Russian women, so in American English a babushka can also be the scarf itself.
Are babushka dolls and matryoshka dolls the same thing?
They are the same object under two names, but only matryoshka is correct in Russian. Babushka doll is an English nickname that arose from the grandmotherly figure painted on the outermost doll.