Lithuania

[ lith-oo-ey-nee-uh ]

/ ˌlɪθ uˈeɪ ni ə /

noun

a republic in N Europe, on the Baltic: an independent state 1918–40; annexed by the Soviet Union 1940; regained independence 1991. 25,174 sq. mi. (65,200 sq. km). Capital: Vilnius.

Lithuanian Lietuva.

Related formsLith·u·an·ic

[lith-oo-an-ik] /ˌlɪθ uˈæn ɪk/, adjective, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for lithuania

He conducted a 24-year-long war against Sweden, Poland, Lithuania, and the Teutonic Knights, and lost.
Russian History Is on Our Side: Putin Will Surely Screw Himself|P. J. O’Rourke|May 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine have revived a plan to form a joint battle group.
Obama’s Nuclear Summit Aimed to Stop Terrorists. Now Putin’s the Issue.|Christopher Dickey, Jamie Dettmer, Nadette De Visser|March 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To Eastern Europe to reassure leaders of Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia that U.S. is committed to their defense.
Up to a Point: The U.S. Government’s Minimum Wage Is $430 Million Per Hour|P. J. O’Rourke|March 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Pahonia, emblem of the Belarusian nation drawn from the insignia of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, is banned under Lukashenko.
Forget Kim Jong Un—China’s New Favorite Dictator Is Belarus’s Aleksandr Lukashenko.|Kapil Komireddi|January 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST

In Poland, Lithuania, and Romania, the CIA operated secret prisons, according to the investigation.
Overlooked Stories of the Week: Torture Report, Venezuela & More|Nina Strochlic|April 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In Lithuania the opportunity to speak to the people is offered only on Sunday, and in that case it is better in the church.
Thirty Days in Lithuania in 1919|Peter P. Saurusaitis
A firmer position was still held by Rabbinism in Lithuania and in the original provinces of Poland.
History of the Jews in Russia and Poland, Volume I (of 3)|S. M. Dubnow
Jaghellon was baptized by the name of Ladislaus, and Lithuania was annexed to Poland.
The Empire of Austria; Its Rise and Present Power|John S. C. Abbott
In Lithuania, contracts were made by the year and unemployment was unknown.
New Homes for Old|Sophonisba Preston Breckinridge
When the Germans occupied Lithuania they did not treat them as roughly as the Poles are doing at this moment.
Thirty Days in Lithuania in 1919|Peter P. Saurusaitis

British Dictionary definitions for lithuania

Lithuania

/ (ˌlɪθjʊˈeɪnɪə) /

noun

a republic in NE Europe, on the Baltic Sea: a grand duchy in medieval times; united with Poland in 1569; occupied by Russia in 1795 and by Germany during World War I; independent Lithuania formed in 1918, but occupied by Soviet troops in 1919 and then by Poland; became a Soviet republic in 1940; unilaterally declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1990; recognized as independent in 1991; joined the EU in 2004. Official language: Lithuanian. Religion: Roman Catholic majority. Currency: litas. Capital: Vilnius. Pop: 3 515 858 (2013 est). Area: 65 200 sq km (25 174 sq miles)Also called: Lithuanian Republic Lithuanian name: Lietuva

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

Word Origin and History for lithuania

Lithuania

Baltic nation, from Lithuanian Lietuva, of unknown origin, perhaps from a PIE source related to Latin litus "shore" and thus meaning "shoreland." Related: Lithuanian.

Culture definitions for lithuania

Lithuania

[ (lith-ooh-ay-nee-uh) ]

Republic on the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and southeast, Poland to the south, and by an isolated segment of Russia to the southwest. Its capital and largest city is Vilnius.

Note

Lithuania was one of the largest and most powerful states in Europe from the fourteenth to the sixteenth centuries, at which time it merged with Poland. In the late eighteenth century, it was absorbed by Russia. A nationalist movement that grew in strength throughout the nineteenth century finally bore fruit when the Russian empire collapsed during World War I. Lithuanians achieved their desired goal of an independent state during the interwar years, but their country was occupied and annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940, as were the neighboring countries of Estonia and Latvia.

Note

Occupied by German forces during World War II, at which time thousands of Lithuanian Jews (see also Jews) were exterminated.

Note

As the communist system began to collapse and the Soviet Union began to dissolve, Lithuania became the first of the Baltic republics to reject Soviet rule, declaring its independence in March 1990.