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

The oldest of the old truths comes from the Prussian military strategist Helmuth von Moltke the Elder: "no plan survives first contact with the enemy."

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

While conducting research in the Prussian state archives in Berlin in the 1990s, he chanced upon the details of a “small vortex of turbulence” in Königsberg.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

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

Even Gast and O’Sullivan wouldn’t count as Heritage Americans by the strictest definition, since the former was Prussian and the latter was the son of Irish and English immigrants.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 26, 2025

They were gathered around the blanket now, watching Fremantle perform, and everyone was laughing except the Prussian, Scheiber, a stocky man in a stained white suit, who was annoyed that no one could speak German.

From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara