Russia

Russia · proper noun, noun¹

1. Proto-Finnic*roocci
2. Old East SlavicРусь (Rusĭ)
3. New LatinRussia
4. English todayRussia

From Medieval Latin Russia, from Old East Slavic Русь (Rusĭ) (whence Arabic رُوس (rūs) and Medieval Greek Ῥῶς (Rhôs)), which originally referred to a group of Varangians who established themselves near Kiev in the 9th century and ruled Kievan Rus; probably from Proto-Finnic *roocci, from Old East Norse *roþs- (“related to rowing”); related to Old Norse Roþrslandi (“the land of rowing”), an older name of Roslagen, where the Finns first encountered the Swedes. Ultimately from Old Norse róðr (“steering oar”), from Proto-Germanic *rōþrą (“rudder”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reh₁- (“to row”). By surface analysis, Russ + -ia. First attested in c. 1390s. Doublet of Rossiya.

RuSSia · proper noun²

Blend of Russia + SS (“Schutzstaffel”), implying that Russia is a fascist state.

Words from the same roots