Muscovy

American

[muhs-kuh-vee] / ˈmʌs kə vi /

noun

Also called Grand Duchy of Muscovy. a principality founded c1271 and centered on the ancient city of Moscow. Its rulers gradually gained control over the neighboring Great Russian principalities and established the Russian Empire under the czars.
Archaic. Moscow.
Archaic. Russia.

Muscovy British

/ ˈmʌskəvɪ /

noun

a Russian principality (13th to 16th centuries), of which Moscow was the capital
an archaic name for Russia Moscow

"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

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.

Muscovy defeated them at the Battle of Poltava in 1709, and in 1721, under Tsar Peter I, Muscovy became the Russian Empire.

From Salon • Jul. 29, 2023

Mr Roper said a Muscovy duck had died after eating a dead fish, while a large number of black-headed gulls had disappeared after picking up dead fish floating on the water.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2023

Czar Peter I grabbed the ancient name Rus from the former Kyivan Rus state and applied it to Muscovy.

From Washington Post • May 12, 2022

The deadline was Friday; as I write this, the most recent photo to arrive was of a Muscovy duck swimming in Pastoral Pond Park, Montgomery County, Texas.

From New York Times • Mar. 28, 2020

The Muscovy came out of her trance and shook.

From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023