guberniya

[goo-ber-nee-uh; Russian goo-byer-nyi-yuh]

noun

(in the Soviet Union) an administrative division of the volosts, smaller than a district.
(in Russia before 1917) an administrative division equivalent to the province.

Origin of guberniya

< Russian gubérniya, probably derivative of gubernátor governor (< Polish < L), by analogy with imperátor emperor, impériya empire

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for guberniya

guberniya

noun

a territorial division of imperial Russia
a territorial and administrative subdivision in the former Soviet Union

Word Origin for guberniya

from Russian: government, ultimately from Latin gubernāre to govern

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