Russian

[ruhsh-uhn]

adjective

1. of or relating to Russia, its people, or their language.

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Russia.

2. a member of a Slavic people, the dominant ethnic group in the Russian Federation, whose historical homeland lies along the upper Volga and Oka rivers and adjacent areas.

3. the Slavic language of this people, written in the Cyrillic alphabet: the official language of Russia or the Russian Federation. Russ, Russ.

4. Informal.,  Russian dressing.

Russian

/ ˈrʌʃən /

noun

1. the official language of Russia: an Indo-European language belonging to the East Slavonic branch

2. the official language of the former Soviet Union

3. a native or inhabitant of Russia

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Russia, its people, or their language

Other Word Forms

• anti-Russian adjective
• half-Russian adjective
• non-Russian adjective
• pro-Russian adjective
• pseudo-Russian adjective
• semi-Russian adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Russian¹

First recorded in 1530–40; from Medieval Latin Russiānus, derivative of Russia, Latinization of Old East Slavic Rusĭ; Russ, Russia, -an

Example Sentences

About a month ago the company said it had agreed to buy the international assets of Lukoil, shortly after the Russian oil producer was hit by U.S. sanctions.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The prospect of a Russian base on the Red Sea alarms American security officials, who have been jockeying with Beijing and Moscow for years over their competing military aspirations in Africa.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The Florida meeting was the latest step in weeks of intense "shuttle diplomacy" which saw Ukrainian and Russian delegations separately engage with US officials to discuss a peace plan.

Read more on BBC

The decision comes amid uncertainty over the outlook for crude as traders look for indications of progress in Ukraine peace talks, which could lead to the return of Russian crude to markets.

Read more on Barron's

Strict sanctions imposed by the U.S. on Russian energy companies have provided bottom-line support for oil prices, they note.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal