Etymology

Belarus

B3E1L1A1R1U1S1

Today it means: A country in Eastern Europe. Official name: Republic of Belarus. Capital and largest city: Minsk. Full definition →

Belarusian Белару́сь (Bjelarúsʹ) ← Old East Slavic Бѣла Русь (Běla Rusĭ) ← Proto-Finnic *roocci
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*bʰel-
  2. Proto-Slavic*bělъ
  3. Old East Slavicбѣлъ (bělŭ)
  4. Proto-Finnic*roocci
  5. Old East SlavicРусь (Rusĭ)
  6. Old East SlavicБѣла Русь (Běla Rusĭ)
  7. BelarusianБе́лая Русь (Bjélaja Rusʹ)
  8. BelarusianБелару́сь (Bjelarúsʹ)
  9. English todayBelarus

Borrowed from Belarusian Белару́сь (Bjelarúsʹ), from historical Бе́лая Русь (Bjélaja Rusʹ, “White Ruthenia or White Rus”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.