zadruga

/zæˈdɹuːɡə/

Etymology

From Serbo-Croatian zȃdruga/за̑друга (“commune”).

noun

  1. A social unit of rural community among the South Slavs, associated with family links and set customs.“Byzantine culture was forced to retreat in the face of a way of life based on the extended family commune or zadruga, which was further organised around loose tribal areas known as županije.”