mir

plural mirs

1. historicalA traditional village community in Imperial Russia, characterised by self-government and collectivist control of local lands.First known use 19th c.

   [T]he constitution of the village […] was a subject which specially interested me, because I was aware that the Mir is the most peculiar of Russian institutions.

   1878, Donald Mackenzie Wallace, Russia, volumes 1-3, page 179

   2 more examples

   The mir was the only means to prevent this, and mir meant serfdom under another name. The landowners disposed of their land, or of so much as was required to support the peasants, not to individuals but to the mir.

   R. Van Bergen, The Story of Russia, page 190

   Consisting of village elders elected by the male heads of household, the mir conducted almost all peasant business, fixing the dates for the agricultural year, deciding what, when and how crops should be grown, distributing plots of land on the open fields, collecting taxes and enforcing basic community discipline.

   2007, Tim Blanning, The Pursuit of Glory, Penguin, published 2008, page 169

plural mirs

1. alternativeAlternative form of Mîr

1. A Soviet, later Russian space station.
2. A male given name.

plural Mirs

1. alternativeAlternative form of Mîr

plural Mirs

1. A surname from Persian.

plural MIRs

1. countableuncountablebusinessSynonym of mail-in rebate.

   Synonyms: mail-in rebate

2. abbreviationuncountableAbbreviation of mid infrared or mid-infrared radiation.

   Synonyms: mid-infrared, mid-IR, middle IR, middle infrared, middle infrared radiation

plural miRs

1. abbreviationAbbreviation of microRNA.