bol'shak

noun

The head of a Russian peasant household; a family patriarch.

OriginRussian больша́к →
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Meanings

nounbol'shak (plural bol'shaks)

plural bol'shaks

  1. historicalThe head of a Russian peasant household; a family patriarch.

    Let us imagine an elderly bol'shak with two married sons, the elder of which has three married sons, and the younger only one.

    2002, Michel Verdon, Rethinking Households, page 95
    1 more example

    If the bol'shak mismanaged the family farm, or was too often drunk and violent, the commune could replace him under customary law with another household member.

    1996, Orlando Figes, A People's Tragedy, Folio Society, published 2013, page 112

Origin

  1. Russianбольша́к
  2. Englishbol'shak

From Russian больша́к (bolʹšák).

More words from Russian

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

bol'shak. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bol'shak

MLA

“bol'shak.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bol'shak. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bol'shak,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bol'shak.

Source: bol'shak on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.