Russia

[ruhsh-uh]

noun

1. Official Name Russian Federation. a republic since 1991, the largest country in the world by area, extending from eastern Europe to northern and western Asia. 6,593,000 square miles (17,076,000 square kilometers). Moscow.

2. Soviet Union.

3. Russian Empire.

Russia

/ ˈrʌʃə /

noun

1. the largest country in the world, covering N Eurasia and bordering on the Pacific and Arctic Oceans and the Baltic, Black, and Caspian Seas: originating from the principality of Muscovy in the 17th century, it expanded to become the Russian Empire; the Tsar was overthrown in 1917 and the Communist Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic was created; this merged with neighbouring Soviet Republics in 1922 to form the Soviet Union; on the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991 the Russian Federation was established as an independent state. Official language: Russian. Religion: nonreligious and Russian orthodox Christian. Currency: rouble. Capital: Moscow. Pop: 142 500 482 (2013 est). Area: 17 074 984 sq km (6 592 658 sq miles)

2. another name for the Russian Empire

3. another name for the former Soviet Union

4. another name for the former Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic

Russia

1. A vast nation that stretches from eastern Europe across the Eurasian land mass. It was the most powerful republic of the former Soviet Union; ethnic Russians composed about half of the population. It is the world's largest country. Its capital and largest city is Moscow.

Russia now occupies the seat on the Security Council of the United Nations formerly held by the Soviet Union.

Peter the Great, a czar who reigned in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, attempted to westernize Russian government and culture.

Russia was ruled by czars of the Romanov family from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries.

During the Russian Revolution of 1917, the Bolsheviks, under Lenin, took control of the government; communists governed from 1917 until 1991.

Other Word Forms

• anti-Russia adjective
• pro-Russia adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Russia¹

First recorded in 1730–40; from Medieval Latin Russī (nominative plural masculine) “Russians” + -ia noun suffix; Russ ¹ ( def. ), -ia

Example Sentences

In early October, drones spotted over the German city of Munich twice shuttered the city's airport, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz saying "our suspicion is that Russia is behind most of these drone flights".

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He travelled through Russia and Dubai and then on to the UK, where, he says, his asylum application was rejected in 2002.

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In a statement, the leaders of the UK, France and Germany said the joint action would "increase pressure" on Russian President Vladimir Putin and "bring Russia to the negotiation table".

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The statement by the Danish defence ministry talks about deterrence and Nato obligations - but it does not mention the United States or Russia.

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The parade also featured troops goose stepping through the square led by a North Korean commander who fought in Russia.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal