Kulak
WiktionaryText
Etymology
From the Russian . Recognized in English in 1877.
Noun
- A prosperous peasant in the Russian Empire or the Soviet Union, who owned land and could hire workers.
Usage notes
During Soviet state collectivization of farming in the 1920s–30s the label kulak, implying “tight-fisted”, was applied pejoratively to attack land-owning peasants in general.