зэк

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See also: зек

Russian

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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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."[1]

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): [zɛk]
  • Audio:(file)

Noun

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зэк (zɛkm anim (genitive зэ́ка, nominative plural зэ́ки, genitive plural зэ́ков, feminine зэ́чка, relational adjective зэ́ковский)

  1. (colloquial) convict, inmate
    Synonyms: ЗеКа (ZeKa), ЗК (ZK)

Declension

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References

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  1. ^ "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