Polesia
/pəˈliːʒə/noun
A historical and geographic region of forests and wetlands spanning parts of Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, and Russia.
Did you know?The region’s name is connected with the Slavic word for “forest,” the same linguistic root behind leshy, the woodland spirit of Slavic folklore.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Slavic
Proto-Slavic
*lěsъ
“Forest or woodland”
Old East Slavic
Old East Slavic
полѣсье (*polěsьje)
“Land by or around the forest”
Medieval period
Polish
Polesie
“A forested, marshy region”
19th Century
Ukrainian
Полісся (Polissia)
“The woodland-and-wetland region of eastern Europe”
19th–20th Century
English
Polesia
“An English geographic name for the region”