samizdat noun sa·miz·dat \ˈsä-mēz-ˌdät\ Definition of SAMIZDAT : a system in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and countries within its orbit by which government-suppressed literature was clandestinely printed and distributed; also : 'Try and' vs. 'Try to' Origin of SAMIZDAT Russian, from sam- self- + izdatel'stvo publishing house First Known Use: 1967