Polissia
/pəˈlɪsiə/noun
A historic forested region extending across parts of northern Ukraine and southern Belarus.
Did you know?Polissia’s name comes from the Slavic word for “forest,” and its wetlands and woodlands are traditionally associated with the East Slavic forest spirit known as the Leshy.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Slavic
Proto-Slavic
*lěsъ
“Forest or woodland; the ancestral Slavic root behind the region’s name”
Early Slavic
Slavic
po lěsu
“By or alongside the forest”
Medieval period
Old East Slavic
Полѣсье
“A forested or woodland-side region”
Medieval period
Polish
Polesie
“The forest country; the name of the region in Polish”
Modern period
Ukrainian
Полісся (Polissia)
“The Polissia region of northern Ukraine and southern Belarus”
Modern English
English
Polissia
“The English transliterated name for the historic East European forest-and-marsh region”