зэк

See also: зек

Russian

Alternative forms

Etymology

Shortening of заключённый каналоармеец (zaključónnyj kanaloarmejec), via the initialism З-К. Заключённый is the adjective "prisoner". Каналоармеец, "member of the canal army", was coined in an analogy with the words красноармеец meaning "member of the Red Army" or трудоармеец (member of a labor army). In 1932, when Anastas Mikoyan visited the construction of the White Sea – Baltic Canal, Lazar Kogan told him "Comrade Mikoyan, how shall we call them? (…) I thought up the word: 'kanaloarmeyets'. What do you think?" Mikoyan approved it."[1]

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): [zɛk]
  • Audio(file)

Noun

зэк • (zɛk) m anim (genitive зэ́ка, nominative plural зэ́ки, genitive plural зэ́ков, feminine зэ́чка, relational adjective зэ́ковский)

  1. (colloquial) convict, inmate
    Synonyms: ЗеКа (ZeKa), ЗК (ZK)

Declension
Declension of зэк (anim masc-form velar-stem accent-a) 
singular plural
nominative зэ́к
zɛ́k		 зэ́ки
zɛ́ki
genitive зэ́ка
zɛ́ka		 зэ́ков
zɛ́kov
dative зэ́ку
zɛ́ku		 зэ́кам
zɛ́kam
accusative зэ́ка
zɛ́ka		 зэ́ков
zɛ́kov
instrumental зэ́ком
zɛ́kom		 зэ́ками
zɛ́kami
prepositional зэ́ке
zɛ́ke		 зэ́ках
zɛ́kax

References
  1. "White Sea Baltic Canal named after Stalin. The History of the Construction" (Беломорско-Балтийский кана́л и́мени Сталина. Исто́рия строи́тельства. / Belomorsko-Baltiyskiy kanal imeni Stalina. Istoriya stroitel'stva) Moscow, 1934, p. 138
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