a member of the moderate wing of the Russian Social Democratic Party, advocating gradual reform to achieve socialism
Compare Bolshevik
Derived forms
Menshevism (ˈMenshevism)
noun
Word origin
C20: from Russian, literally: minority, from menshe less, from malo few
Menshevik in American English
(ˈmɛnʃəˌvɪk)
nounWord forms: pluralˈMensheˌviks or ˈMensheˌviki (ˈmɛnʃəˌviki)
1.
a member of the minority faction (Mensheviki) of the Russian Social Democratic Workers' Party, which opposed the more radical majority faction (Bolsheviki) from 1903 on
adjective
2.
of, characteristic of, or like the Mensheviks
Derived forms
Menshevism (ˈMenshevism)
noun
Menshevist (ˈMenshevist)
noun, adjective
Word origin
Russ (1903) < menshe, the smaller, less, minority < OSlav miniji, smaller < IE *mineu-, var. of base *mei-, to lessen > L minor