name
Ivan
EYE-vuhn
name
1
A male given name of Slavic origin, the Slavic equivalent of "John."
"Ivan the Terrible was the first Tsar of Russia."
2
Informal, sometimes dated slang for a Russian or Soviet person collectively.
"Cold War-era films sometimes used "Ivan" as shorthand for the Soviet soldier."
How to Use Ivan
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe classic Russian equivalent of "John," and occasionally used informally as a nickname for Russians in general.
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_____ the Terrible was the first Tsar of Russia.
Etymology
From Russian Iván, a Slavic form of the same root that gives English "John," "Ian," "Sean," and "Giovanni."