Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

nomenklatura

/nɒˌmɛnkləˈtjʊəɹə/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.62 in modern English

Syllables: nomen-klatu-ra
IPA: /nɒˌmɛnkləˈtjʊəɹə/

18

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

5

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A list of bureaucratic posts in government and industry in the former Soviet Union and other communist countries, filled by those appointed by the Party.

noun

The people on such lists; (by extension), any privileged class, a social or political elite.

Example Sentences

"[Gorbachev] did not champion perestroika and glasnost alone; much of the nomenklatura had decided that the Soviet economic and social model was dysfunctional, corrupt and endemically inefficient and had to change."
"Communism envisioned […] an Authority Ranking of political control (in theory, the dictatorship of the proletariat; in practice, a nomenklatura of commissars under a charismatic dictator)."
"During the long rule of Leonid Brezhnev (1964–1982), the nomenklatura had cemented their power in the system."

Etymology

Borrowed from Russian номенклату́ра (nomenklatúra), from Latin nōmenclātūra (“a calling by name, list of names”), from nomen (“name”) + calare (“call”). Doublet of nomenclature.

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: nōmenclātūra

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /nɒˌmɛnkləˈtjʊəɹə/

Inflected Forms

nomenklaturas (plural) nomenclatura (alternative)

Derived Forms

nomenklaturist

Rhymes With

nakamura nomura kimura dura jura sura pura miura segura nishimura mura tamura

Questions

How do you pronounce nomenklatura?: The recorded pronunciation is /nɒˌmɛnkləˈtjʊəɹə/.
What does nomenklatura mean?: A list of bureaucratic posts in government and industry in the former Soviet Union and other communist countries, filled by those appointed by the Party.
Where does nomenklatura come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce nomenklatura

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “nomenklatura”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/nɒˌmɛnkləˈtjʊəɹə/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “nomenklatura”.
Repeat and practice — Say “nomenklatura” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.