(in tsarist Russia) an elective provincial or district council established in most provinces of Russia by Alexander II in 1864 as part of his reform policy
Word origin
C19: from Russian, from zemlya land; related to Latin humus earth, Greek khamai on the ground
zemstvo in American English
(ˈzɛmstˌvoʊ)
nounWord forms: pluralˈzemˌstvos (ˈzɛmstˌvoʊz) or ˈzemstva (ˈzɛmstvə)