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zek

American  
[zek] / zɛk /

noun

  1. (in the former U.S.S.R.) an inmate of a forced-labor camp.


Etymology

Origin of zek

First recorded in 1965–70; from Russian zek “prisoner,” representing a vocalization of ze + ka (the letter names of z, k ), probably an abbreviation of zaklyuchënnyi “prisoner”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It is also the first letter of the Russian word "zek", or "inmate".

From BBC • Oct. 25, 2023

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