deficit good

noun

A commodity which was chronically difficult for citizens of the Soviet Union to obtain; particularly one which was considered a necessity or only a very basic luxury in the West, such as toilet paper or a car.

OriginRussian дефици́тный това́р →
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Meanings

noundeficit good (plural deficit goods)

plural deficit goods

  1. historicalin pluralA commodity which was chronically difficult for citizens of the Soviet Union to obtain; particularly one which was considered a necessity or only a very basic luxury in the West, such as toilet paper or a car.

Origin

  1. Russianдефици́тный това́р“scarce commodity”
  2. Englishdeficit good

Calque of Russian дефици́тный това́р (deficítnyj továr, “scarce commodity”, literally “deficit good”).

More words from Russian

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

deficit good. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deficit%20good

MLA

“deficit good.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deficit%20good. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “deficit good,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deficit%20good.

Source: deficit good on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.