Ruthenian

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

/ ruˈθi ni ən, -ˈθin yən /

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for ruthenian

Mr. Ardan says Ruthenian men and women drink, "farmers and Protestants being exceptions."
Aliens or Americans?|Howard B. Grose
With regard to the Ruthenian districts of Hungary also they had made demands which had been refused by me.
In the World War|Count Ottokar Czernin
Poland's claims were to be left to the self-determination of the Silesian and Ruthenian populations.
The Inside Story Of The Peace Conference|Emile Joseph Dillon
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

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

British Dictionary definitions for ruthenian

Ruthenian

/ (ruːˈθiːnɪən) /

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.