Russia

See also: Rùssia and Rússia

English

Etymology

1390s, from Medieval Latin Russia, from Old East Slavic Русь (Rusĭ) (whence Arabic رُوس (rūs) and Byzantine Greek Ῥῶς (Rhôs)), which originally referred to a group of Varangians who established themselves near Kiev in the 9th century and ruled Kievan Rus; probably from Proto-Finnic *roocci, from Old East Norse *roþs- (“related to rowing”); related to Old Norse Roþrslandi (“the land of rowing”), an older name of Roslagen, where the Finns first encountered the Swedes. Ultimately from Old Norse róðr (“steering oar”), from Proto-Germanic *rōþrą (“rudder”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reh₁- (“to row”).

Pronunciation

  • (UK, US) IPA(key): /ˈɹʌʃə/
  • (Philippines) IPA(key): /ˈɹʌ.ʃɐ/, /ˈɹʊ.ʃɐ/
  • Audio (UK):(file)
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Hyphenation: Rus‧sia
  • Rhymes: -ʌʃə
  • Homophone: rusher

Proper noun

Russia (countable and uncountable, plural Russias)

  2. A transcontinental country in Eastern Europe and North Asia. Official name: Russian Federation. Capital and largest city: Moscow. It borders the Pacific and Arctic Oceans and the Baltic, Black, and Caspian Seas. Part of the Soviet Union from 1917 through 1991.
    • 2022 March 10, Kaitlan Collins, Manu Raju, Kate Sullivan, MJ Lee and John Harwood, “Biden calls for suspending normal trade relations with Russia and will ban imports of vodka and seafood”, in CNN‎[1]:
      “Revoking PNTR for Russia is going to make it harder for Russia to do business with the United States and doing it in unison with other nations that make up half of the global economy will be another crushing blow to the Russian economy that’s already suffering very badly from our sanctions,” Biden said.
    • 2023 March 24, Rhea Mogul, “Russia can’t meet India arms deliveries due to Ukraine war, Indian Air Force says”, in CNN‎[2]:
      Russia is unable to honor its arms delivery commitments to India because of the war in Ukraine, the Indian Air Force (IAF) said, placing a potential strain on New Delhi’s relationship with its largest defense supplier as Moscow attempts to ramp up weapons production.
  3. (historical, loosely) The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (a very common name, although more formally Russia, the RSFSR, was one of several constituent republics of the USSR).
  4. (historical) The Russian Empire; the tsarist empire in Russia lasting from 1721 to 1917.
    • 1911, “Ukraine”, in 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica‎[3]:
      Ukraine (“frontier”), the name formerly given to a district of European Russia, now comprising the governments of Kharkov, Kiev, Podolia and Poltava.
  5. (historical, dated) Kievan Rus; the medieval East Slavic state centered in Kiev.
    • 1911, “Ukraine”, in 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica‎[4]:
      Ukraine (“frontier”), the name formerly given to a district of European Russia, now comprising the governments of Kharkov, Kiev, Podolia and Poltava.
  6. (dated, countable) Any of several East Slavic states descended from Kievan Rus, typically including Russia (Great Russia), Belarus (White Russia) and Ukraine (Little Russia).
    • 1842, George Eliot, Selections from George Eliot's letters, Letter to Cara Bray, page 24:
      Or rather if I be attaining a better autocratship than that of the Emperor of all the Russias — the empire over self.
    • 1911, “Ukraine”, in 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica‎[5]:
      Ukraine (“frontier”), the name formerly given to a district of European Russia, now comprising the governments of Kharkov, Kiev, Podolia and Poltava.
    • 1914, Russia and the Russian People:
      Then there is White Russia and Red Russia, Great Russia and Little Russia, Russia of the Frozen North and Russia of the Far East — a Russia equally dangerous to every one of her neighbours […]

Synonyms

Check usage notes in linked entries to see whether they are slang, offensive, etc.

Meronyms

Derived terms

Descendants

Translations

Noun

Russia (countable and uncountable, plural Russias)

  1. Ellipsis of Russia leather.
    • 1914, Shoe and Leather Journal, volume 27, page 36:
      Dull Russias will prove a good selling line for women according to the predictions of certain manufacturers.

See also

  • Countries of the world
countries in Asia (appendix)edit
countries in Europe (appendix)edit

Further reading

Anagrams

Interlingua

Proper noun

Russia

  1. Russia (a transcontinental country in Eastern Europe and North Asia)

Italian

Etymology

1538, from Medieval Latin Russī (“Russians”). Ultimately from Byzantine Greek Ρωσία (Rōsía).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈrus.sja/
  • Rhymes: -ussja
  • Hyphenation: Rùs‧sia

Proper noun

Russia f

  1. Russia (a transcontinental country in Eastern Europe and North Asia)

See also

countries in Europe: paesi d'Europa (appendix)edit

Anagrams

Latin

Alternative forms

Etymology

11th-century Latinisation of Old East Slavic Русь (Rusĭ).

Pronunciation

Proper noun

Russia f sg (genitive Russiae); first declension

  1. (New Latin) Russia (a transcontinental country in Eastern Europe and North Asia)

Declension

First-declension noun, singular only.

singular
nominative Russia
genitive Russiae
dative Russiae
accusative Russiam
ablative Russiā
vocative Russia

Synonyms

Derived terms

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