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laika

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laika¹

Where it comes from

From Russian ла́йка (lájka, “laika”, literally “barker”).

noun laikas · Laika

  1. A type of hunting dog from Russia. Q—The Russians picked a laika to occupy the space capsule. Do you think a dachshund would have been a wiser choice?

Laika²

Where it comes from

Transliteration of Russian ла́йка (lájka, literally “barker”).

noun Laikas

  1. Alternative letter-case form of laika

Laika³

Where it comes from

Transliteration of Russian Лáйка (Lájka), from ла́йка (lájka, literally “barker”). Renamed by Soviet personnel; according to some accounts, owing to her loud barking.

proper noun

  1. A female dog who was sent into space by the Soviet Union on November 3, 1957, aboard Sputnik 2. She died in space.

Translations

Every language

noun hunting dog from Russia

Españollaika
Françaislaïka
Русскийла́йка lájka

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Cite this
MLA

"laika." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/laika. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

APA

laika. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/laika

Chicago

"laika." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/laika.

BibTeX
@misc{laika_2026,
  title = {laika},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/laika},
  urldate = {2026-11-07}
}