/ ˌbæləˈklɑːvə; NAmE / (also ˌbalaclava ˈhelmet ) noun
( especially BrE ) a type of hat made of wool that covers most of the head, neck and face
For more information see the Cultural Guide
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WORD ORIGIN
late 19th cent. (worn originally by soldiers on active service in the Crimean War): named after the village of Balaclava in the Crimea where the Battle of Balaclava occurred between Russian forces and an alliance of British, French and Turkish forces. It is remembered as the scene of the poem The Charge of the Light Brigade by Lord Tennyson.