yasak · noun — an in-kind tribute in Imperial Russia exacted from the indigenous peoples of Siberia, usually in fur. It carries an Arena rating of 1254, earned across 65 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, yasak ranks #772 of 17,195 for Most Exacting Words, #2,307 of 17,172 for Scariest Words, #2,400 of 17,177 for Most Incisive Words, #4,682 of 17,163 for Most Sublime Words.
Why “yasak” is a great word
YASAK — [Noun] An in-kind tribute, typically in fur, exacted from the indigenous peoples of Siberia by the Russian Empire. Borrowed from Russian ясак (jasak), from Turkic, from Middle Mongol ᠵᠠᠰᠠᠭ (ǰasag, "law, order, decree"). Unlike a "tax" (a compulsory monetary payment to a state) or a "gift" (a voluntary offering), yasak was a mandatory tribute in pelts, imposed as a physical token of colonial submission. It is the heavy bundle of sable pelts counted by a Cossack clerk, the seasonal dread settling over a winter camp, and the ledger entry that translated a living creature into a unit of imperial account. A law written not on parchment, but on taken skin.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
Borrowed from Russian ясак (jasak), from Turkic, from Middle Mongol ᠵᠠᠰᠠᠭ (ǰasaɣ)
noun
- An in-kind tribute in Imperial Russia exacted from the indigenous peoples of Siberia, usually in fur.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- avania 52% match — A tax or fee imposed on foreigners under the Ottoman Empire, especially one considered to be irregular or extortionate. vs yasak →
- ayakut 50% match — A tax or water rate imposed by the British on farmers in India during the British colonial period for using water from wells, canals, or other water sources. vs yasak →
- zakat 49% match — Almsgiving, usually in the form of an annual tax on certain types of property which is then used for charitable purposes; the third of the five pillars of Islam. vs yasak →
- dahsala 49% match — Synonym of zabt (“land revenue system”). vs yasak →
- abwab 49% match — A tax, or impost, levied by a chief on a landowner. vs yasak →
- exaction 48% match — The act of demanding with authority, and compelling to pay or yield; compulsion to give or furnish; a levying by force vs yasak →
- zadakat 48% match — Voluntary alms, or righteous acts. vs yasak →
- caphar 48% match — A toll or duty imposed by the Turks on Christian merchants. vs yasak →