Prussian

American  

[pruhsh-uhn] / ˈprʌʃ ən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Prussia or its inhabitants.

2. characterized by, exemplifying, or resembling Prussianism.

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noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Prussia.

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

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

Prussian British  

/ ˈprʌʃən /

adjective

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

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noun

1. a German native or inhabitant of Prussia

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

3. See Old Prussian

Other Word Forms

• anti-Prussian
  adjective
• non-Prussian
  noun
• pro-Prussian
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of Prussian

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

Example Sentences

By 1908, Wilhelm’s attitude toward the U.S. was more benevolent, and he offered President Theodore Roosevelt an elite corps of Prussian soldiers to be posted in California, supposedly to fend off a Japanese invasion.

From Salon • Mar. 15, 2026

I imagined a vitrine of the pigments used to achieve those “Gainsborough blues”—indigo, Prussian blue, ultramarine, azurite.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

Milley’s analysis recalled Prussian Gen. Carl von Clausewitz’s oft-quoted explanation of the moral justification for the use of violence against other states: War is the continuation of politics by other means.

From Slate • Mar. 19, 2025

But as Prussian military theorist Carl von Clausewitz put it in the early 1800s: “Politics is war without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2024

Prussian Junkers had the reputation of being stiff and arrogant, but that seemed an unfair generalization.

From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys