duma

[ doo-muh ]

/ ˈdu mə /

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noun

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

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

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Also douma.

Origin of duma

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 (see doom)

Words nearby duma

dulosis, dulse, Duluth, Dulwich, duly, duma, Dumaguete, Dumas, Du Maurier, dumb, dumb ague

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use duma in a sentence

“It is not dissimilar from Putin using the Duma to ratify his annexation of the Crimea,” he said.
Britain’s PM Cameron And His Awful Assault on Human Rights Court|Nico Hines|October 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Last April, shortly after annexation, the Duma voted for the law allowing gaming zones in Crimea.
Putin's Crimea Is a Big Anti-Gay Casino|Anna Nemtsova|September 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Deputies were full of optimism: sanctions would help to make the Russian economy healthier, Duma members concluded on Wednesday.
Is Putin About to Blink?|Anna Nemtsova|July 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Our relationship with the U.S. has been growing colder and colder,” said the Duma deputy, Robert Schlegel.
Cold Shoulder for Obama|Anna Nemtsova|September 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Omar and Fouzi are from the West Bank village of Duma, 13 miles southeast of Nablus.
Palestinian Children: The Invisible Workers of Israeli Settlements|Dina Elmuti|August 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Much was hoped from the duma, but this body has proved bitterly opposed to the Jewish claim for liberty.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 4|Various
It was the Duma which was strangled by these forces, of which the first was the more potent and malign.
Mr. Punch's History of Modern England Vol. IV of IV.|Charles L. Graves
Now there is a duma, and the duma as an institution still lives.
The Old World and Its Ways|William Jennings Bryan
The duma is ready to do its part; will the government rise to the occasion?
The Old World and Its Ways|William Jennings Bryan
The Duma invited the Council to share its own convenient quarters.
The Russian Revolution; The Jugo-Slav Movement|Alexander Petrunkevitch, Samuel Northrup Harper, Frank Alfred Golder, Robert Joseph Kerner

British Dictionary definitions for duma

duma

douma

/ Russian (ˈduːmə) /

noun Russian history

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

(before 1917) any official assembly or council

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

Word Origin for duma

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012