presidia

Variant of presidium

noun pl. presidia or presidiums

  1. in certain communist countries, a standing committee empowered to act for a larger body, as a legislature
  2. the executive committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1952 to 1966

Origin: Russ prezidium < L praesidium: see presidio

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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