Bessarabia

American  

[bes-uh-rey-bee-uh] / ˌbɛs əˈreɪ bi ə /

noun

1. a region in Moldova, on the W shore of the Black Sea: formerly in Romania.

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Bessarabia British  

/ ˌbɛsəˈreɪbɪə /

noun

1. a region in E Europe, mostly in Moldova and Ukraine: long disputed by the Turks and Russians; a province of Romania from 1918 until 1940. Area: about 44 300 sq km (17 100 sq miles)

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Other Word Forms

• Bessarabian adjective

Example Sentences

Born in Paris, the son of Jewish immigrants from Bessarabia, a region in Eastern Europe that now straddles Moldova and Ukraine, Mr. Badinter was raised to respect the liberal values and tolerance of the French republic.

From New York Times

He was the son of immigrants from Bessarabia, not the grandson.

From New York Times

Friday’s ceremony celebrated the 105th anniversary of Great Union Day of 1918 when modern-day Romania was formed after its unification with the neighboring regions of Transylvania, Bessarabia and Bukovina.

From Washington Times

But parishioners are divided between two churches -- the Moldova Metropolis, subordinate to the Russian Orthodox Church, and the Metropolis of Bessarabia, which reports to the Romanian church.

From Reuters

Vladimir last week also defrocked six priests who had left his church to join its rival, the Metropolis of Bessarabia, which commands 25 percent of dioceses in the country.

From Reuters