Russian
/ˈrʌʃən/noun
Relating to Russia, its people, or the Russian language.
Did you know?The name ultimately traces back to the medieval East Slavic polity of Rus', a term whose deeper origin is still debated, with one major theory linking it to Old Norse words for “rowers” or “men who row.”
Etymological Timeline
Medieval period
Old East Slavic
русь (Rusʹ)
“The people and land of Rus', an early East Slavic polity”
9th–11th centuries
Old Norse
roðr / roþs-
“Rowing or a rowing crew, in one major scholarly theory”
11th–12th centuries
Medieval Latin
Russia
“The Latinized name for the lands of Rus'”
14th–16th centuries
Middle English
Russian
“Pertaining to the people or land of Russia”
Modern English
English
Russian
“Relating to Russia, its people, or the Russian language”