Russian

[ruhsh-uhn]

adjective

1. of or relating to Russia, its people, or their language.

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Russia.

2. a member of a Slavic people, the dominant ethnic group in the Russian Federation, whose historical homeland lies along the upper Volga and Oka rivers and adjacent areas.

3. the Slavic language of this people, written in the Cyrillic alphabet: the official language of Russia or the Russian Federation. Russ, Russ.

4. Informal.,  Russian dressing.

Russian

/ ˈrʌʃən /

noun

1. the official language of Russia: an Indo-European language belonging to the East Slavonic branch

2. the official language of the former Soviet Union

3. a native or inhabitant of Russia

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Russia, its people, or their language

Other Word Forms

• anti-Russian adjective
• half-Russian adjective
• non-Russian adjective
• pro-Russian adjective
• pseudo-Russian adjective
• semi-Russian adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Russian¹

First recorded in 1530–40; from Medieval Latin Russiānus, derivative of Russia, Latinization of Old East Slavic Rusĭ; Russ, Russia, -an

Example Sentences

Berlin is now rushing to boost spending and personnel, with warnings that members of the Western Nato alliance must prepare for a possible Russian attack within four years.

Read more on BBC

"At the same time, we are ramping up pressure on companies in third countries, including India and China, that continue to facilitate getting Russian oil onto global markets," she said.

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The Russian leader hailed "special relations" between the two countries that "have developed between our countries over many decades."

Read more on Barron's

Diplomats say the alliance is looking to fine tune its rules of engagement for dealing with Russian incursions and iron out different approaches between member states.

Read more on Barron's

Despite Vladimir Putin’s repeated claims that he is interested in peace, the Russian president has thumbed his nose at a deal.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal