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Caucasus

American  
[kaw-kuh-suhs] / ˈkɔ kə səs /

noun

  1. Also called Caucasus Mountains.  the Caucasus. a mountain range in Caucasia, between the Black and Caspian seas, along the border between the Russian Federation, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. Highest peak, Mt. Elbrus, 18,481 feet (5,633 meters).

  2. Also Caucasia a region between the Black and Caspian seas: divided by the Caucasus Mountains into Ciscaucasia in Europe and Transcaucasia in Asia.


Caucasus British  
/ ˈkɔːkəsəs /

noun

  1. Also called: Caucasus Mountains.  a mountain range in SW Russia, running along the N borders of Georgia and Azerbaijan, between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea: mostly over 2700 m (9000 ft). Highest peak: Mount Elbrus, 5642 m (18 510 ft)

  2. another name for Caucasia

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Caucasus Cultural  
  1. Mountain range extending from the Black Sea southeast to the Caspian Sea, through extreme southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.


Discover More

It forms part of the traditional border between Europe and Asia.

Oil is its major resource. In World War II, the Germans tried to seize or neutralize this resource but were driven back by the Soviets.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

European leaders are descending on Armenia for two unprecedented summits in a country long considered Russia's closest ally in the South Caucasus.

From BBC May 3, 2026

Tuapse, near Russia’s border with the Caucasus country of Georgia, lies more than 300 miles from the nearest Ukrainian-controlled point—a distance now well within the range of Kyiv’s long-range attack drones.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 28, 2026

The mitochondrial DNA from the Stajnia individuals belongs to the same genetic branch found in Neanderthals from the Iberian Peninsula, south-eastern France, and the northern Caucasus.

From Science Daily Apr. 22, 2026

“When it comes to the South Caucasus, it almost seems like Trump is deliberately tweaking the Russians,” said Samuel Charap, a senior political scientist at Rand, a defense think tank.

From The Wall Street Journal Mar. 29, 2026

The Turks were also fighting the Russians in the wild mountains of the Caucasus, where an ill-equipped Turkish army suffered severely as the opposing sides struck at each other again and again.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman

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