menshevik means A member of the gradualist or moderate wing of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party during the years preceding the Russian Revolution, when they split with the Bolsheviks; or a member of a later independent moderate-Marxist party formed in 1917. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 84 out of 100.
menshevik is pronounced /ˈmɛnʃəvɪk/.
Why “menshevik” is a great word
MENSHEVIK — [Noun] A member of the moderate, gradualist faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, which opposed the Bolsheviks after their 1903 schism. Borrowed from Russian меньшеви́к (menʹševík), from меньшинство́ (menʹšinstvó, "minority"), derived from ме́ньше (ménʹše, "less, smaller"), the comparative of ма́лый (mályj, "little, small"). First attested in English 1905–10. Unlike "Bolshevik" (which denotes the radical majority demanding immediate revolution) or "Menshevik-Internationalist" (which specifies the later, anti-war subgroup), "Menshevik" evokes the broader, tragic fate of socialist gradualism. It is the scent of printer's ink on a patiently argued pamphlet, the meticulously plotted historical timetable torn to scraps by the gale of events, and the reasoned speech drowned out by the roar of the crowd—a testament to the quiet, fatal cost of being reasonable when the world has chosen to be radical.
Etymology
Borrowed from Russian меньшеви́к (menʹševík), derived from меньшинство́ (menʹšinstvó, “minority”), formed in turn from Russian ме́ньше (ménʹše), the comparative of ма́лый (mályj, “little”).
noun
- A member of the gradualist or moderate wing of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party during the years preceding the Russian Revolution, when they split with the Bolsheviks; or a member of a later independent moderate-Marxist party formed in 1917.“В одном районе в последние 5—6 месяцев представителем был «меньшевик». Благодаря оторванности от общей работы этот район страшно ослаб.”