adj
Very common
Russian
RUHSHN
Russian (adj) means relating to Russia, its people, culture, or language. Example: “They enjoyed a Russian meal of borscht and pelmeni.”
adj
1
Relating to Russia, its people, culture, or language.
"They enjoyed a Russian meal of borscht and pelmeni."
"The novel was originally written in Russian."
noun
1
A citizen or native of Russia, or a person of Russian ethnicity.
"Several Russians attended the international conference."
2
The Russian language.
"She has been studying Russian for three years."
How to use Russian
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishRelating to Russia and its people, or the language itself.
Common pairings
Russian language
Russian roulette
ethnic Russian
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Word forms
- Plural
- Russians
- Third person singular
- Russians
- Past tense
- Russianed
- Comparative
- more Russian
- Superlative
- most Russian
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
They enjoyed a _____ meal of borscht and pelmeni.
Etymology
From Medieval Latin Russiānus, from Russia; in English use as both noun and adjective since the 16th century.
Class of 1500
Russian joined the language around 1500.
See the full Class of 1500 →
Rhymes for Russian
See all rhymes for Russian →Frequently asked questions
What does “Russian” mean?
The word “Russian” means relating to Russia, its people, culture, or language. In plain terms, relating to Russia and its people, or the language itself.
How do you pronounce “Russian”?
“Russian” is pronounced RUHSHN (/ˈɹʌʃ(ə)n/ in IPA).
How do you use “Russian” in a sentence?
Here is “Russian” used in a sentence: “They enjoyed a Russian meal of borscht and pelmeni.”
What part of speech is “Russian”?
Depending on how it is used, “Russian” can be an adjective and a noun.
Where does the word “Russian” come from?
The word “Russian” dates back to around 1500 and comes from Medieval Latin. From Medieval Latin Russiānus, from Russia; in English use as both noun and adjective since the 16th century.
Is “Russian” a common word?
“Russian” is a very common word in modern English.
How many meanings does “Russian” have?
“Russian” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: relating to Russia, its people, culture, or language.
What does Russian mean?
As an adjective, Russian describes anything relating to Russia — its people, language, culture, food, or history. As a noun, it refers to a person from Russia or to the Russian language, the most widely spoken Slavic tongue and one of the world's major languages.
What language do Russian people speak?
The main language is Russian, an East Slavic language written in the Cyrillic alphabet and spoken by over 250 million people worldwide. It's one of the six official languages of the United Nations. Many other minority languages are also spoken across Russia's vast territory.
What is the difference between Russian and Soviet?
Russian relates specifically to Russia, its people and culture. Soviet referred to the Soviet Union (USSR), a larger state that existed from 1922 to 1991 and included Russia alongside many other republics. Every Russian was then a Soviet citizen, but not every Soviet citizen was Russian.
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