BALKANIZE (British BALKANISE)

PRONUNCIATION: (BAWL-kuh-nyz)

MEANING: verb tr.: To divide a region, group, etc., into small, often hostile, entities.

ETYMOLOGY: From allusion to the breakup of the the Balkan Peninsula following the decline of the Ottoman Empire. The Peninsula is named after Balkan Mountains, which are named after a Turkish word for mountains: balkan. Earliest documented use: 1917.
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WALKANIZE - a portmanteau word: to organize a walk to raise money for a charitable cause

BALKANIRE - the cause of this persistent hostility

BALKANITE - an iron ore found in the mountains of south-eastern Europe