Main Entry:

so·vi·et

Pronunciation:

\ˈsō-vē-ˌet, ˈsä-, -vē-ət\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Russian sovet council, soviet

Date:

1917

1: an elected governmental council in a Communist country2plural capitalized a: bolsheviks b: the people and especially the political and military leaders of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

— soviet adjective often capitalized

— so·vi·et·ism \-vē-ə-ˌti-zəm\ noun often capitalized