Ruthenian

[roo-thee-nee-uh n, -theen-yuh n]

adjective

Also Ru·thene [roo-theen] /ruˈθin/. of or relating to the inhabitants of Ruthenia, Galicia, and neighboring regions.

noun

one of the Ruthenian people.
the dialect of Ukrainian spoken in Ruthenia.
a member of a former Orthodox religious group that entered into communion with the Roman Catholic Church in 1596 and became the “Uniate Church of the Little Russians.”

Origin of Ruthenian

First recorded in 1840–50; Rutheni(a) + -an

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for ruthenian

Historical Examples of ruthenian

The lands of Lithuanian and Ruthenian speech were never conquered by Poland.
Notes on Life and Letters
Joseph Conrad
The mention of the Ruthenian Basilians refers to an extremely delicate work entrusted to the Jesuits.
The Jesuits, 1534-1921
Thomas J. Campbell
We finish with a few Ruthenian ballads, having no political reference.
Historical View of the Languages and Literature of the Slavic Nations
Therese Albertine Louise von Jacob Robinson
It ought to have been called Songs of the Ruthenian people in Poland.
Historical View of the Languages and Literature of the Slavic Nations
Therese Albertine Louise von Jacob Robinson
At this period, Rothe, a Ruthenian rover, almost destroyed our country with his rapine and cruelty.
The Danish History, Books I-IX
Saxo Grammaticus ("Saxo the Learned")

British Dictionary definitions for ruthenian

Ruthenian

adjective

of or relating to Ruthenia, its people, or their dialect of Ukrainian

noun

a dialect of Ukrainian
a native or inhabitant of Ruthenia

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 ruthenian

Ruthenian

adj.

1850, of or pertaining to the Ukrainian people (earlier Ruthene, 1540s), from Medieval Latin Rutheni "the Little Russians," a derivative of Russi (see Russia). For consonant change, cf. Medieval Latin Prut(h)eni, from Prussi "Prussians." Another word in the same sense was Russniak.