izba

or is·ba

[ iz-bah ]

noun
  1. the traditional log house of rural Russia, with an unheated entrance room and a single living and sleeping room heated by a clay or brick stove.

Origin of izba

1
1775–85; <Russian izbá (diminutive istópka), Old Russian istŭba house, bath, cognate with Serbo-Croatian ìzba small room, shack, Czech jizba room, Old Czech jistba, jizdba, all <Slavic *jĭstŭba ≪ Vulgar Latin *extūfa, with short u perhaps <Germanic *stuba;see stove1

Words Nearby izba

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use izba in a sentence

  • The kholodnaya izba—the “cold izba,” as opposed to the “warm izba” or living room.

    Russian Fairy Tales | W. R. S. Ralston
  • The Evil one strove and strove, but nothing came of it, the izba still remained pitch dark.

    Russian Fairy Tales | W. R. S. Ralston
  • He thought, "It is useless to waste money and labour on an izba, when the roving Tatars will carry it off in any case."

    Taras Bulba and Other Tales | Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol
  • Round her came swarming countless devils, the izba was full of them!

    Russian Fairy Tales | W. R. S. Ralston
  • He unharnessed his horse and put everything in its place, and then went into the izba (room), but found no one there.