perestroika

noun peh-rehs-TROY-kah Rare

Origin: From Russian perestroika (restructuring).

Usage Note

Perestroika entered Spanish as a direct borrowing from Russian, referring to Mikhail Gorbachev's political and economic reform programme of the 1980s. In Spanish it is treated as a feminine noun (la perestroika) by analogy with other -a ending loanwords. It is now used more broadly to mean any sweeping political restructuring.

Examples

"La perestroika transformó la Unión Soviética."

Natural Translation

Perestroika transformed the Soviet Union.

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