babushka

noun

ba·​bush·​ka bə-ˈbüsh-kə  -ˈbu̇sh- 

ba-

1

a

: a usually triangularly folded kerchief for the head

b

: a head covering (such as a scarf) resembling a babushka

2

a

: grandmother

Until my own babushka's generation very specific clothes were assigned to specific classes, specific hairstyles distinguishing married from unmarried women.

—Francine du Plessix Gray

b

: an elderly Russian woman

… I jostled among babushkas clutching bags of food for a place on the bus …

—Gary Lee

Illustration of babushka

• babushka 1a

Synonyms

• bandanna
• bandana
• do-rag
• handkerchief
• kerchief
• madras
• mantilla

Examples of babushka in a Sentence

an elderly Russian woman with a babushka

Recent Examples on the Web

The house that was hit, next door, was where a babushka lived. —Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025

Much like the Polish Solidarity movement that was born 40 years ago in the shipyards of Gdańsk, this consciousness stitches together blue-collar workers and intelligentsia, urban and rural communities—even, in today’s Belarus, IT-savvy youngsters and babushkas. —Michael Carpenter, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2020

But the real standout of Lawrence’s outfit was her coordinating headscarf, draped over her head and tied under her chin like a babushka. —Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 29 Feb. 2024

These women were regularly substituted and replaced, so a new face in the crowd was unlikely to draw attention from the other babushkas or from the militia. —Dawn Klavon, Peoplemag, 25 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Russian, grandmother, diminutive of baba old woman

First Known Use

1938, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

babushka

noun

ba·​bush·​ka bə-ˈbüsh-kə  -ˈbu̇sh- 

: a kerchief usually folded into a triangle and worn on the head

Etymology

from Russian babushka, "grandmother"