ukase

Where does the word "ukase" come from? It comes from Russian ukaz, and was adopted directly into English (1720s).

Ukase’s story begins in Russian: ukaz meant “tsar's edict.” 'decree', from ukazat' 'to show, order'; Peter the Great ruled through thousands of ukazes, among them the 1722 Table of Ranks. It reached English by 1720s as ukase. Came in through French ukase; Alexander I's 1821 ukase claiming the Pacific coast down to 51°N provoked US protests that fed into the 1823 Monroe Doctrine. Today, ukase means an edict of the Russian tsar; any arbitrary order.

1. Stage 1 · Russian · 1700s ukaz "tsar's edict", 'decree', from ukazat' 'to show, order'; Peter the Great ruled through thousands of ukazes, among them the 1722 Table of Ranks.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1720s ukase "arbitrary decree", came in through French ukase; Alexander I's 1821 ukase claiming the Pacific coast down to 51°N provoked US protests that fed into the 1823 Monroe Doctrine.