зэк
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See also: зек
Russian
Alternative forms
- зек (zɛk)
Etymology
Shortening of заключённый каналоармеец (zaključónnyj kanaloarmejec), via the initialism З-К. Заключённый is the adjective "prisoner". Каналоармеец, "member of the canal army", was coined in an analogy with the words красноармеец meaning "member of the Red Army" or трудоармеец (member of a labor army). In 1932, when Anastas Mikoyan visited the construction of the White Sea – Baltic Canal, Lazar Kogan told him "Comrade Mikoyan, how shall we call them? (…) I thought up the word: 'kanaloarmeyets'. What do you think?" Mikoyan approved it."
Pronunciation
Noun
зэк • (zɛk) m anim (genitive зэ́ка, nominative plural зэ́ки, genitive plural зэ́ков, feminine зэ́чка, relational adjective зэ́ковский)
Declension
References
- ^ "White Sea Baltic Canal named after Stalin. The History of the Construction" (Беломорско-Балтийский кана́л и́мени Сталина. Исто́рия строи́тельства. / Belomorsko-Baltiyskiy kanal imeni Stalina. Istoriya stroitel'stva) Moscow, 1934, p. 138