GOST

Gost is a term with several distinct meanings in Slavic linguistic and technical contexts. The most prominent uses are as an acronym and as a common word in various languages. In standardization, GOST stands for Gosudarstvennyy Standart, or State Standard, a system of technical standards begun in the Soviet Union and continued in many post‑Soviet states. In everyday Slavic languages, the word gost (гость) means guest, a meaning unrelated to the technical uses of the acronym.

GOST standards describe a broad range of specifications for products, materials, and processes to ensure quality, safety, and interoperability. Developed starting in the 1920s, the GOST system established uniform requirements that were widely adopted across the Soviet Union and later by Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, and other CIS countries. In Russia and some participating nations, GOST marks or GOST‑R designations indicate regulatory compliance for procurement and industry. Over time, many GOST standards have been harmonized with international norms, though the system retains distinctive, nationally oriented standards in various sectors.

GOST also refers to a family of cryptographic standards created in the Soviet era and used in Russia and some CIS states. This GOST suite includes algorithms for hashing (for example, GOST R 34.11), digital signatures (GOST R 34.10), and symmetric encryption (GOST 28147-89), with later revisions such as Kuznyechik and other updaters. These standards have been implemented in domestic security systems and sometimes subjected to international comparison or integration efforts. Their usage remains common in certain governmental and commercial contexts within the region.

In summary, Gost can denote a historical and ongoing standardization framework, a group of cryptographic algorithms, or the Slavic word for guest, depending on context.