Standard Lemma guide

dedovshchina

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /dɪdəvˈʃːinə/
  • /-dəf-/

1

noun

Meaning 1

Hazing, the informal system of subjection and physical or sexual abuse of new junior conscripts, formerly in the Soviet Armed Forces and contemporarily in the Russian, Ukrainian, etc. armed forces.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: grandfatherism

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Russian дедовщи́на (dedovščína), literally “reign of old-timers”.

Across languages

Translations

17 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Belarusian: дзедаўшчы́на (dzjedawščýna) — bullying in the Soviet/Russian army
  • Czech: dědovščina — bullying in the Soviet/Russian army
  • Dutch: dedovsjtsjina — bullying in the Soviet/Russian army
  • Finnish: simputus — bullying in the Soviet/Russian army
  • French: dedovchtchina — bullying in the Soviet/Russian army
  • German: Dedowschtschina — bullying in the Soviet/Russian army
  • Italian: dedovščina — bullying in the Soviet/Russian army
  • Japanese: デドフシナ (dedofushina) — bullying in the Soviet/Russian army
  • Kazakh: әлімжеттік (älımjettık) — bullying in the Soviet/Russian army
  • Korean: 데도브시나 (dedobeusina) — bullying in the Soviet/Russian army
  • Lithuanian: dedovščina — bullying in the Soviet/Russian army
  • Polish: diedowszczyna — bullying in the Soviet/Russian army
  • Polish: fala — bullying in the Soviet/Russian army
  • Portuguese: dedovshchina — bullying in the Soviet/Russian army
  • Russian: дедовщи́на (dedovščína) — bullying in the Soviet/Russian army
  • Spanish: dedovshchina — bullying in the Soviet/Russian army
  • Ukrainian: дідівщи́на (didivščýna) — bullying in the Soviet/Russian army