באַלקן
־ס
דער
באַלטן
'rafter; ceiling'

ETYMOLOGY

[Interesting that Eastern Yiddish has adopted the NHG form with final -n, rather than apocopating the MHG and ENHG form balke to ✱✱balk. Perhaps this is a wider pattern of weak nouns acquiring a final -n in NHG and Eastern Yiddish?]
ON bjalki, bǫlkr, OE balca, bolca, English balk, OS balko, OHG balko, balcho 'plank, winepress, part of ship', MHG balke, ENHG balke, NHG Balken 'beam, bar'; from PGmc ✱belkan- ~ ✱balkan- ~ ✱bulkan- 'beam' < ✱bʰélǵʰ-on- (NEUR); from PIE ✱bʰelǵ-; cf. Russian (dialectal) bólozno 'thick board', Lithuanian balžíenas 'cross-beam'; Greek φᾰ́λᾰγξ 'line of battle', Latin fulciō 'to prop up, support'

Herzog notes that באַלקן and its variants with the meaning 'ceiling' was popular mostly in the westernmost part of CY, closer to German territory. Further East, various Slavisms were used instead.

LINK: http://www.dovidkatz.net/WebAtlas/29_MolevReshitse.htm
Between Mólev (Mogilov) and Réshitse
LITVISH: An Atlas of Northeastern Yiddish by Dovid Katz

ETYMOLOGY

ON bjalki (< PGmc ✱belkᵏan-), OE bealca, English balk, bawk, OS balko, Dutch balk, OHG balko, balcho, MHG balke, NHG Balken; from PGmc ✱balkᵏan- 'beam'; from PIE ✱bʰolǵʰ-, an expanded version of the root ✱bhel-, which is also behind Greek φάλκης (phálkēs) 'beam' and φάλαγξ (phálanx) 'roller, beam, battle line.' Original paradigm may have been PGmc ✱belkᵏō, gsg. ✱bulkᵏaz, apl. ✱balkᵏuns, from older ✱bʰélǵʰ-ōn, ✱bʰl̥ǵʰ-n-ós, ✱bʰolǵʰ-n-ń̥s
{DWDS; Kroonen 2011: 148}
A11

WESTERN

Oyberland (West Transcarpathian)

balk͡ŋ {אין אַ מאַגאַזין} 'ceiling' {WTCP, Dunajská Streda, 47179}
- midə balʲk͡ŋ מיט די באַלקן
- ojb͡m̩ ɔf də balk͡ŋs אויבן אויף די באַלקנס

baɫk͡ŋ {די גערענדעס 'קלעצער' זעען זיך אַרויס} {WTCP, Berettyó-Újfalu, 47212}

CENTRAL

Unterland (East Transcarpathian)

baltn {Balken} {ETCP, Beranek 1941}

dəm balk͡ŋ {ער: אויך פּלאַפֿאָן, אויך געטינקעוועט} {ETCP, Teiuș, 46233}

balʲk͡ŋ {ETCP, Sîg Felső Szek, 47223}

dər baltn {ETCP, Nyzhnya Apsha, 48233}

HASIDIC

AMERICA

balkən - a grɔjse hɔlc vus kɩmt arup fɩn a dax באַלקן — אַ גרויסע האָלץ וואָס קומט אַראָפּ פֿון אַ דאַך---