Gulag
[go̵̅o̅′läg′, -lag′]
noun
- the system of prisons and labor camps, esp. for political prisoners, in the Soviet Union: with the
- such a prison or forced-labor camp, as in the Soviet Union
- any place or situation regarded as like such a prison
Origin: < Russ acronym for G(lavnoe) u(pravlenie ispravitel'no-trudovykh) lag(erei), Chief Administration of Corrective Labor Camps: term popularized by The Gulag Archipelago by A. Aleksandr (Isayevich) Solzhenitsyn
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
also Gu·lag
noun- A network of forced labor camps in the former Soviet Union.
- A forced labor camp or prison, especially for political dissidents.
- A place or situation of great suffering and hardship, likened to the atmosphere in a prison system or a forced labor camp.
Origin: Russian Gulag, from G(lavnoe) u(pravlenie ispravitel'no-trudovykh) lag(ereĭ), Chief Administration (of Correctional Labor) Camps.
gulag - Cultural Definition
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.
Gulag
Variant of gulag
noun
- the system of prisons and labor camps, esp. for political prisoners, in the Soviet Union: with the
- such a prison or forced-labor camp, as in the Soviet Union
- any place or situation regarded as like such a prison
Origin: < Russ acronym for G(lavnoe) u(pravlenie ispravitel'no-trudovykh) lag(erei), Chief Administration of Corrective Labor Camps: term popularized by The Gulag Archipelago by A. Aleksandr (Isayevich) Solzhenitsyn
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.