Kiełbasa, kołbasa, klobasa, kobasa, kolbasi, kovbasa, kobasi, and kubasa are common North American anglicizations for a type of Central and Eastern European sausage. Synonyms include Polish sausage and Ukrainian sausage. In English, these words refer to a particular genre of sausage, common to all Central and Eastern European countries but with substantial regional variations. In the Slavic languages, these are the generic words for all types of sausage, local or foreign.
Etymology and usage
The terms entered English simultaneously from different sources, which accounts for the different...