russian
/ˈɹʌʃ(ə)n/
Word Rarity
Common
Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.01 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Of or pertaining to Russia or Russians.
adj
Of or pertaining to the Russian language.
noun
A person of an East Slavic ethnic group which is native to, and constitutes the majority of the population of, Russia; an ethnic Russian.
Countable
Example Sentences
- "The “little green men”—faces covered, wearing unmarked olive uniforms, speaking Russian and using Russian weapons—have played a significant role in both the occupation of Crimea and the civil war in eastern Ukraine.¹⁹⁶"
- "So that is the official line: you’re shit, we’re shit, everything’s shit, never try for a better world because it doesn’t exist. That is not only bleak, I think it’s also the working title of every Russian novel ever written."
- "“Revoking PNTR for Russia is going to make it harder for Russia to do business with the United States and doing it in unison with other nations that make up half of the global economy will be another crushing blow to the Russian economy that’s already suffering very badly from our sanctions,” Biden said."
- "A grim smile plays about Tarzan’s lips. At least Rokoff will be cheated. How mad he will be! And death will be more merciful than he could have hoped for at the hands of the Russian."
- "But be that as it may: the Great Russian chauvinist Voznesenskii knew exactly how best to touch upon the asiaphobic nerve of his fellow-countrymen, how to stimulate the deep-rooted irrational fears of the Russians of peril looming from Asia, and how to turn those fears against China."
- "Though they consistently deny these accusations, ¹²⁵ there is overwhelming evidence showing the Russians actively equipping, training and even fighting alongside the separatists in eastern Ukraine. ¹²⁶"
Etymology
From Medieval Latin (11th century) Russiānus, from Russia, a Latinization of the Old East Slavic Русь (Rusĭ)) + -ānus (“of or pertaining to”). Attested in English (both as a noun and as an adjective) from the 16th century. By surface analysis, Russia + -an. Piecewise doublet of Rossiyan.
Word Breakdown
- Root: -, Русь
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈɹʌʃ(ə)n/
- British English: /ˈɹʌʃ(ə)n/
Usage
Inflected Forms
more Russian (comparative)
most Russian (superlative)
Ru. (alternative)
Russians (plural)
Russians (present, singular)
Russianing (participle, present)
Russianed (participle, past)
Russianed (past)