Word Study
kibbutz
CIDE DICTIONARY
kibbutz, n. [Modern Hebrew kibbutz gathering.].
an Israeli communal{2} form of agricultural settlement. Originally it was predominantly agricultural and practiced a very high level of sharing, including collective rearing of children. More recently (by 1998) industries have taken over a significant role in the Kibbutz economy, and the level of sharing has dropped significantly.
"Of several Modern Hebrew words designating unique Israeli forms of agricultural settlement, only the word Kibbutz found its way into English. This may reflect the fact that the Kibbutzim, and only they, have long practiced hosting foreign volunteers from all over the world: youngsters who work on the Kibbutz not for a salary but for boarding and food. Many volunteers come from English speaking countries, and probably via them the word Kibbutz entered modern English dictionaries." [RP]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
kibbutz, n. (pl. kibbutzim) a communal esp. farming settlement in Israel.
Etymology
mod.Heb. kibbus gathering
THESAURUS
kibbutz
arable land, barnyard, barton, cattle ranch, chicken farm, collective farm, collectivism, collectivity, collegiality, common ownership, communal effort, communion, communism, community, cooperation, cooperative society, cotton plantation, croft, dairy farm, demesne, demesne farm, democracy, dry farm, dude ranch, factory farm, fallow, farm, farmery, farmhold, farmland, farmplace, farmstead, farmyard, fruit farm, fur farm, grain farm, grange, grassland, hacienda, homecroft, homefarm, homestead, kolkhoz, location, mains, manor farm, orchard, pasture, pen, plantation, poultry farm, profit sharing, public ownership, ranch, rancheria, rancho, sharecropping, sheep farm, socialism, state ownership, station, steading, stock farm, toft, town meeting, truck farmFor further exploring for "kibbutz" in Webster Dictionary Online