*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Laika

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

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

Alternative letter-case form of laika.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

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

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "transliteration",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ru",
        "3": "ла́йка",
        "lit": "barker"
      },
      "expansion": "Transliteration of Russian ла́йка (lájka, literally “barker”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "ла́йка",
      "лайка#Russian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative letter-case form of laika."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of"
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 7903718
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
name

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

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

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

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "transliteration",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ru",
        "3": "Лáйка"
      },
      "expansion": "Transliteration of Russian Лáйка (Lájka)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Лáйка",
      "Лaйка#Russian"
    ],
    [
      "ла́йка",
      "лайка#Russian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A female dog who was sent into space by the Soviet Union on November 3, 1957, aboard Sputnik 2. She died in space."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Laika →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-TGFpa2E