Ukase

Example of a Soviet-era ukaz: the appointment of the Presidium of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, 1964.

In Imperial Russia, a ukase (/juːˈkeɪz, -ˈkeɪs/[1][2]) or ukaz (Russian: указ [ʊˈkas]) was a proclamation of the tsar, government,[3] or a religious leadership (e.g., Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus' or the Most Holy Synod) that had the force of law. "Edict" and "decree" are adequate translations using the terminology and concepts of Roman law.

From the Russian term, the word ukase has entered the English language with the meaning of "any proclamation or decree; an order or regulation of a final or arbitrary nature".[2]

  1. ^ Wells, John C. (2008). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd ed.). Longman. ISBN 978-1-4058-8118-0.
  2. ^ a b OED staff 1989.
  3. ^ Chisholm 1911.