Vory

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A member of an organized Russian criminal underworld, especially one of the thieves-in-law who follow a strict code of conduct
2. Refers to the members of a traditional Russian organized crime fraternity, often called thieves-in-law, who live by an unwritten code
3. Describes the professional criminals of the Soviet and post-Soviet Russian underworld who held a rigid code of honour and loyalty

Etymology: "Vory" comes from Russian "vor", meaning "thief," and its plural "vory" (воры) was adopted into English for members of the Russian criminal underworld. The Russian term "vor v zakone" translates roughly as "thief-in-law," referring to a criminal who lived by an unwritten code of conduct among thieves. The tradition traces back to the Soviet-era prison and labor camp system, where a hierarchy of career criminals developed its own rules, rituals and loyalties that set them apart from other inmates. Members who accepted the code were initiated and were expected to refuse cooperation with authorities and to avoid holding legitimate jobs or family property. The English adjective is used for anything connected with this world, from a criminal network to a style of conduct. Its meaning is narrower than "Russian gangster" in general, since it points to this specific code-bound tradition rather than to any criminal group from Russia.

Synonyms: ivory