khozyaystvo

Khozyaystvo (хозяйство) is a term used in Russian and other Slavic languages to denote the organization and use of resources within a household, a business, or a state. It can refer to a particular farm or estate as a productive unit, or to the broader system of production and consumption in society.

Etymology: the word derives from the root related to хозяин (host, master, owner) and conveys management and stewardship. Over time, its meaning expanded from household affairs to encompass wider economic activity and systems.

The main senses are: first, household economy, which covers the management of a family’s resources, budgets, food, housing, and labor; second, an economic system, referring to the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services in a country, region, or sector, with phrases such as narodnoye khozyaystvo (national economy) and ekonomicheskoye khozyaystvo (economic management); third, a farm or agricultural enterprise, meaning a farm or network of farms organized for production with defined resources, personnel, and output.

Usage: in modern language, khozyaystvo broadly covers organized productive activity by households, firms, or governments. In agriculture it often denotes a farm business, for example fermerskoe khozyaystvo (farm enterprise). In public and academic contexts it denotes the overall economy or sectoral economies, as well as the organization of economic activity within a society.

See also: narodnoye khozyaystvo; fermerskoe khozyaystvo; khozyaistvo as a general term for economic management.