soviet

The word “soviet” means an elected council that formed the basic unit of government in the former Soviet Union. In plain terms, relating to the former USSR, or one of its governing councils.

“Soviet” is pronounced SOH-vee-uht (/ˈsoʊvi.ət/ in IPA).

Here is “soviet” used in a sentence: “Workers elected representatives to the local soviet.”

Depending on how it is used, “soviet” can be a noun and an adjective.

The word “soviet” comes from Russian. Borrowed from Russian sovet ("council"), from Old Church Slavonic sŭvětŭ ("advice, agreement").

“Soviet” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.

“Soviet” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: an elected council that formed the basic unit of government in the former Soviet Union.

A soviet (lowercase) was a single elected council of workers, soldiers or peasants acting as a local unit of government. The Soviet Union was the whole country — officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics — which took its name from these councils. One was a building block; the other, the entire state.

It comes from the Russian word for 'council' or 'advice.' Originally a soviet was simply a council elected to represent local workers or communities. The term later became attached to the communist government that grew out of these councils, which is why it now sounds inseparable from Russian and Soviet-era politics.

The most famous is the Petrograd Soviet, formed in 1917, which represented workers and soldiers during the Russian Revolution. Local, city and regional soviets existed throughout the country, each meant to send delegates upward through the system. In practice they became instruments of the ruling Communist Party.