Prussian

[pruhsh-uh n]

adjective

of or relating to Prussia or its inhabitants.

characterized by, exemplifying, or resembling Prussianism.

noun

a native or inhabitant of Prussia.

(originally) one of a Lettic people formerly inhabiting territory along and near the coast at the southeastern corner of the Baltic Sea.

a Baltic language formerly spoken in Prussia; Old Prussian. Abbreviation: Pruss

Origin of Prussian

First recorded in 1555–65; Prussi(a) + -an

Related formsnon-Prus·sian, noun, adjectivepro-Prus·sian, adjective, noun

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

Examples from the Web for prussian

Contemporary Examples of prussian

The whole purpose was to create this idea that there was this Prussian juggernaut.
How The Cold War Endgame Played Out In The Rubble Of The Berlin Wall
William O’Connor
November 9, 2014
Supposedly, he and his troops drank it after defeating the Prussian army in 1809.
Wine Snobs, There’s a Beer for You
Jordan Salcito
April 5, 2014
Prussian militarism was unlovely, to be sure, but the Kaiser was no Führer.
The Utterly Pointless First World War
Michael F. Bishop
May 22, 2013
They contained photographs and portraits of all the military leaders of the Prussian state from the Soldier King to Hitler.
The Real Monuments Men: The Coronation Chamber of Hitler
Robert Edsel
February 6, 2014

Historical Examples of prussian

He it was who had put into the hands of Prussian soldiers the weapon that won Kniggrtz.
Camps, Quarters and Casual Places
Archibald Forbes
For the matter of that, the Prussian helmet makes the fact patent.
In the Heart of Vosges
Matilda Betham-Edwards
I set off with all speed, and when I arrived there was a Prussian patrol at the cottage.
A Comedy of Marriage and Other Tales
Guy De Maupassant
Now the Prussian staff had taken up its quarters in this farmhouse.
A Comedy of Marriage and Other Tales
Guy De Maupassant
"Very good wine, I think," swore the Prussian, taking the bottle.
Vivian Grey
Earl of Beaconsfield, Benjamin Disraeli

British Dictionary definitions for prussian

Prussian

adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of Prussia or its people, esp of the Junkers and their formal military tradition

noun

a German native or inhabitant of Prussia

a member of a Baltic people formerly inhabiting the coastal area of the SE Baltic

See Old Prussian

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 prussian

Prussian

1550s (n.), 1560s (adj.), from Prussia + -an. Prussian blue pigment (1724) came to English from French bleu de Prusse, so called for being discovered in Berlin, the Prussian capital.

All in all, it seems that Prussian blue was synthesised for the first time around 1706 by the Swiss immigrant Johann Jacob Diesbach in Berlin. [Jens Bartoll and Bärbel Jackisch, "Prussian Blue: A Chronology of the Early Years," "Zeitschrift für Kunsttechnologie und Konservierung" 24, No. 1, 2010]

Early German sources refer to it as Preußisches Ultra-Marin and berliner blau. Prussic acid (1790), is from French acide prussique, so called in reference to prussian blue pigment, to which it is chemically related.