Prussia
/ˈprʌʃ.ə/noun
A historical region and former European state centered on parts of modern-day Germany and Poland.
Did you know?The name Prussia ultimately comes from the Old Prussians, a Baltic people whose language is now extinct, and the state’s name later became so dominant that it swallowed the identity of the region around it.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bhergh-
“High, elevated; a hill or fortified height”
Proto-Baltic
Baltic
*Prūsā
“The ethnonym/place-name of the Old Prussians”
11th Century
Latin
Bruscia / Prussia
“Latinized forms referring to the land of the Prussians”
Middle Ages
German
Preußen
“The territory and people of Prussia”
Modern English
English
Prussia
“The historical state and region in northeastern Europe”