gulag
[ goo-lahg ]
/ ˈgu lɑg /
noun (sometimes initial capital letter)
the system of forced-labor camps in the Soviet Union.
a Soviet forced-labor camp.
any prison or detention camp, especially for political prisoners.
Origin of gulag
1970–75; < Russian
Gulág, acronym from
Glávnoe upravlénie ispravítelʾno-trudovýkh lageréĭ Main Directorate of Corrective Labor Camps
Words nearby gulag
Example sentences from the Web for gulag
British Dictionary definitions for gulag
Gulag
/ (ˈɡuːlæɡ) /
noun
(formerly) the central administrative department of the Soviet security service, established in 1930, responsible for maintaining prisons and forced labour camps
(not capital)
any system used to silence dissents
Word Origin for Gulag
C20: from Russian
G (
lavnoye)
U (
pravleniye Ispravitelno-Trudovykh)
Lag (
erei) Main Administration for Corrective Labour Camps
Cultural definitions for gulag
gulag
[ (gooh-lahg) ]
A system of prison camps inside the former Soviet Union used for political prisoners. Under Joseph Stalin, millions of prisoners in these camps died from starvation and maltreatment. This system was given worldwide attention in the writings of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. Gulag is an acronym in Russian of the name meaning Chief Administration of Corrective Labor Camps.