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samizdat

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noun sa·miz·dat \ ˈsä-mēz-ˌdät \

Definition of samizdat

:a system in the U.S.S.R. and countries within its orbit by which government-suppressed literature was clandestinely printed and distributed; also :such literature

Recent Examples of samizdat from the Web

The book was published in the West and circulated in samizdat form in the Soviet Union.

— sophia kishkovsky, New York Times, "Igor Shafarevich, Russian Mathematician With a Mixed Political Legacy, Dies at 93," 13 Mar. 2017
The video was grainy, balky and awkwardly framed — which only added to the samizdat, you-are-there electricity of the broadcast.

— james poniewozik, New York Times, "C-Span, Gun Control and a Protest Made for Streaming," 23 June 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'samizdat.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of samizdat

Russian, from sam- self- + izdatel'stvo publishing house

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1967

See Words from the same year

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

Learn More about samizdat

See words that rhyme with samizdat Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about samizdat

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