*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of kulak

1877. From Russian кула́к (kulák, “wealthy peasant; fist; tight-fisted person”), plural кулаки́ (kulakí). Compare also Russian раскула́чивание (raskuláčivanije, “dekulakization”), подкула́чник (podkuláčnik, “subkulak”).

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

A prosperous peasant in the Russian Empire or the Soviet Union, who owned land and could hire workers.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

1877. From Russian кула́к (kulák, “wealthy peasant; fist; tight-fisted person”), plural кулаки́ (kulakí). Compare also Russian раскула́чивание (raskuláčivanije, “dekulakization”), подкула́чник (podkuláčnik, “subkulak”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ru",
        "3": "кула́к",
        "4": "",
        "5": "wealthy peasant; fist; tight-fisted person"
      },
      "expansion": "Russian кула́к (kulák, “wealthy peasant; fist; tight-fisted person”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ru",
        "2": "раскула́чивание",
        "3": "",
        "4": "dekulakization"
      },
      "expansion": "Russian раскула́чивание (raskuláčivanije, “dekulakization”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "кула́к",
      "кулак#Russian"
    ],
    [
      "кулаки́",
      "кулаки#Russian"
    ],
    [
      "раскула́чивание",
      "раскулачивание#Russian"
    ],
    [
      "подкула́чник",
      "подкулачник#Russian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A prosperous peasant in the Russian Empire or the Soviet Union, who owned land and could hire workers."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "historical"
      ],
      "recordId": "c02e74df0774b12a7ed42b40ef214dfa29508eefc94dc8672564f0b5fcf69d9f",
      "rawRecordSha256": "fd769d4b4652da10e6f71c43fa804d711bdc91ec5d5b3f7e72d331bee387c67b",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 230901
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for kulak →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-a3VsYWs