Ossetia

American

[o-see-shuh, uh-sye-tyi-yuh] / ɒˈsi ʃə, ʌˈsyɛ tyɪ yə /

noun

a region in Caucasia: divided between North Ossetia of the Russian Federation and the South Ossetian Autonomous Region of the Georgian Republic.

Ossetia British

/ ɒˈsɛtjə, ɒˈsiːtjə /

noun

a region of central Asia, in the Caucasus: consists administratively of the North Ossetian Republic in Russia and South Ossetia (formerly an Autonomous Region) in Georgia

"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.

He fought in Chechnya and in a brief war in North Ossetia in the 1990s, and later took part in Russia’s military intervention in Syria.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 22, 2025

Moscow recognises the breakaway Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent, while most of the world recognises them as Georgian territory.

From Barron's • Oct. 15, 2025

Authorities in the nearby Russian regions of Ingushetia and North Ossetia reported drone strikes on Wednesday morning.

From BBC • Dec. 26, 2024

Moscow then recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states and beefed up its military presence there.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 8, 2024

The Georgian government has also faced armed separatist conflicts in the Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions.

From The 1995 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency

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