kulak

A prosperous peasant in the Russian Empire or the Soviet Union, who owned land and could hire workers.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈkuːlak/

Etymology

Cognate with Russian: раскула́чивание

In summary

1877. From Russian кула́к (kulák, “wealthy peasant; fist; tight-fisted person”), plural кулаки́ (kulakí). Compare also Russian раскула́чивание (raskuláčivanije, “dekulakization”), подкула́чник (podkuláčnik, “subkulak”).

Synonyms

office worker

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