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Menshevik

or men·she·vik

[ men-shuh-vik; Russian myin-shi-vyeek ]
/ ˈmɛn ʃə vɪk; Russian myɪn ʃɪˈvyik /
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noun, plural Men·she·viks, Men·she·vik·i [men-shuh-vik-ee, -vee-kee; Russian myin-shi-vyi-kyee]. /ˈmɛn ʃəˌvɪk i, -ˌvi ki; Russian myɪn ʃɪ vyɪˈkyi/.
a member of the Russian Social-Democratic Workers' Party in opposition to the Bolsheviks: advocated gradual development of full socialism through parliamentary government and cooperation with bourgeois parties; absorbed into the Communist party formed in 1918.
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Origin of Menshevik

1905–10; <Russian menʾshevík, equivalent to ménʾsh() lesser (comparative of málenʾkiĭ small; compare menʾshinstvó minority) + -evik, variant of -ovik noun suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM Menshevik

Men·she·vism [men-shuh-viz-uhm], /ˈmɛn ʃəˌvɪz əm/, nounMen·she·vist, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Menshevik in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for Menshevik

Menshevik

Menshevist

/ (ˈmɛnʃɪvɪk) /

noun
a member of the moderate wing of the Russian Social Democratic Party, advocating gradual reform to achieve socialismCompare Bolshevik

Derived forms of Menshevik

Menshevism, noun

Word Origin for Menshevik

C20: from Russian, literally: minority, from menshe less, from malo few
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
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