duma

[doo-muh]

noun

1. (in Russia prior to 1917) a council or official assembly.

2. (initial capital letter),  an elective legislative assembly, established in 1905 by Nicholas II, constituting the lower house of parliament.

duma

/ ˈduːmə /

noun

1. (usually capital) the elective legislative assembly established by Tsar Nicholas II in 1905: overthrown by the Bolsheviks in 1917

2. (before 1917) any official assembly or council

3. short for State Duma, the lower chamber of the Russian parliament

Word History and Origins

Origin of duma¹

1865–70; < Russian, Old Russian dúma assembly, council (an early homonym with dúma thought); cognate with Bulgarian dúma word, Slovak duma meditation; Slavic *dum- probably < Gothic dōms judgment ( doom )

Word History and Origins

Origin of duma¹

C20: from duma thought, of Germanic origin; related to Gothic dōms judgment

Example Sentences

Similar sieges unfolded across Syria—in Duma, Zabadani, and beyond.

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Hostility to parliamentary democracy: There is no need for a legislative body when the leader decrees the laws; nevertheless, fascist leaders typically maintain a Duma or a Reichstag as a marionette theater, a role for which Republican congressmen and senators are well suited.

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President Duma Boko hailed the gold medal as a "historic African win", in an online address praising the team for their performance.

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KwaZulu-Natal Transport Minister Siboniso Duma said that heavy snow had led to lorries being stuck on roads, causing huge congestion.

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"They do jobs that would otherwise not get done," Duma Boko told the BBC Africa Daily podcast before his historic inauguration on Friday.

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