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samizdat

sam·iz·dat
S s

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [sah-miz-daht; Russian suh-myiz-daht]
    • /ˈsɑ mɪzˌdɑt; Russian sə myɪzˈdɑt/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [sah-miz-daht; Russian suh-myiz-daht]
    • /ˈsɑ mɪzˌdɑt; Russian sə myɪzˈdɑt/

Definitions of samizdat word

  • noun samizdat a clandestine publishing system within the Soviet Union, by which forbidden or unpublishable literature was reproduced and circulated privately. 1
  • noun samizdat a work or periodical circulated by this system. 1
  • noun Technical meaning of samizdat (publication)   (Russian, literally "self publishing") The process of disseminating documentation via underground channels. Originally referred to photocopy duplication and distribution of banned books in the former Soviet Union; now refers by obvious extension to any less-than-official promulgation of textual material, especially rare, obsolete, or never-formally-published computer documentation. Samizdat is obviously much easier when one has access to high-bandwidth networks and high-quality laser printers. Strictly, "samizdat" only applies to distribution of needed documents that are otherwise unavailable, and not to duplication of material that is available for sale under copyright. See Lions Book for a historical example. See also: hacker ethic. 1
  • uncountable noun samizdat Samizdat referred to a system in the former USSR and Eastern Europe by which books and magazines forbidden by the state were illegally printed by groups who opposed the state. 0
  • noun samizdat a system of clandestine printing and distribution of banned or dissident literature 0
  • noun samizdat (as modifier) 0

Information block about the term

Origin of samizdat

First appearance:

before 1965
One of the 2% newest English words
1965-70; < Russian samizdát, equivalent to sam(o)- self- + izdát(el'stvo) publishing agency; coined as a jocular allusion to the compound names of official Soviet publishing organs, e.g., Gosizdát for Gosudárstvennoe izdátel'stvo State Publishing House

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Samizdat

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation

samizdat popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 61% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.
According to our data about 51% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

samizdat usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Top questions with samizdat

  • what is samizdat?
  • what does samizdat mean?

See also

Matching words

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