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.