Русь

See also: русь

Belarusian

Alternative forms

• Ruś — Łacinka (Belarusian Latin alphabet)

Etymology

Inherited from Old Ruthenian Русь (Rusʹ).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [rusʲ]

Proper noun

Русь • (Rusʹ) f inan (genitive Русі́, uncountable, relational adjective ру́скі)

1. (historical) Rus (a people made up of Scandinavian warrior merchants who travelled Eastern European river-roads from the eighth century)
   • 1926, Vacłaŭ Łastoŭski, Гісторыя беларускай (крыўскай) кнігі, Kaunas: Друкарня Сакалоўскага і Лана, page 6:

     Да апошняга тыпу належалі скандынаўскія дружыны, якія звалі сябе Русьсю.

     Da apóšnjaha typu nalježali skandynaŭskija družyny, jakija zvali sjabje Rusʹsju.

     The Scandinavian warbands, who called themselves Rus, belonged to the latter type.

2. (historical) Rus (any of the medieval East Slavic principalities established by Scandinavian warrior merchants)

   Кі́еўская Русь ― Kíjeŭskaja Rusʹ ― Kievan Rus

   • 1919, Усевалад Макаравіч Ігнатоўскі, Кароткі нарыс гісторыі Беларусі, Minsk: Друкарня Я. Грынблята, page 36:

     Як мы адзначылі раней, Полацкая Русь за ўвесь час свайго істнаваньня вяла амаль што не бесперарыўнае змаганьне з Русьсю Кіеўскай.

     Jak my adznačyli ranjej, Pólackaja Rusʹ za ŭvjesʹ čas svajhó istnavanʹnja vjala amalʹ što nje bjespjeraryŭnaje zmahanʹnje z Rusʹsju Kijeŭskaj.

     As we noted earlier, Polotskian Rus was almost constantly engaged in a struggle against Kievan Rus throughout its existence.

3. (historical) Kievan Rus (A medieval principality in Eastern Europe centred around Kyiv; at its maximum extent covering much of modern Ukraine, Belarus and western Russia and considered an early predecessor of each country)
   • 1936, Сяргей Канстанцінавіч Паўловіч, Першая навука Закону Божага з беларуска-славянскім букваром, Warsaw: Друкарня Сынадальная, page 149:

     З Кіева Уладзімір пасылаў сьвяшчэньнікаў да іншых местаў і сёлаў, каб хрысьцілі народ. З помаччу Божай вера Хрыстова распаўсюджылася на ўсёй Русі.

     Z Kijeva Uladzimir pasylaŭ sʹvjaščenʹnikaŭ da inšyx mjestaŭ i sjólaŭ, kab xrysʹcili naród. Z pómačču Bóžaj vjera Xrystóva raspaŭsjudžylasja na ŭsjoj Rusi.

     From Kyiv, Vladimir sent priests to other cities and villages to baptize the people. With God's help, the faith of Christ spread throughout all of Rus.

Declension

Declension of Русь (inan sg-only soft 3rd-decl fem-form accent-d)

	singular
nominative	Русь Rusʹ
genitive	Русі́ Rusí
dative	Русі́ Rusí
accusative	Русь Rusʹ
instrumental	Ру́ссю, Ру́сьсю1 Rússju, Rúsʹsju1
locative	Русі́ Rusí

¹Taraškievica spelling.

Synonyms

• Ру́ская зямля́ (Rúskaja zjamljá)

Derived terms

• Бе́лая Русь (Bjélaja Rusʹ, “White Ruthenia, White Russia, Belarus”)
• Чырво́ная Русь (Čyrvónaja Rusʹ, “Red Ruthenia”) (Eastern Galicia)
• Чо́рная Русь (Čórnaja Rusʹ, “Black Ruthenia”)
• Кі́еўская Русь (Kíjeŭskaja Rusʹ, “Kievan Rus”)

References

• Bulyka, A. M., editor (2010), “Русь”, in Гістарычны слоўнік беларускай мовы [Historical Dictionary of the Belarusian Language] (in Belarusian), numbers 30 (ралецъ – рушать), Minsk: Belaruskaia navuka, →ISBN, page 485
• “Русь” in Belarusian–Russian dictionaries and Belarusian dictionaries at slounik.org
• "Русь" in Belarusian-Russian dictionaries and Belarusian dictionaries at Verbum

Old East Slavic

Etymology

Borrowing from an ethnonym Proto-Finnic *roocci with the meaning (“people from the coast of Roþrin (‘administrative subdivision in coastal Eastern Sweden’)”), while its native Scandinavian equivalent is not attested. The Finnic word, which refers to the Swedes (Germanic tribe), and later the whole of Sweden, is in turn borrowed from Old East Norse *roþs- (see Finnish Ruotsi for more). Compare Old East Slavic Сумь (Sumĭ), borrowed from Proto-Finnic *soomi. The Old East Slavic proper noun Русь is first recorded in the 12th-century Primary Chronicle. Older attestations of the same name in Greek, Latin and Arabic date to the 9th and 10th centuries. More at Rus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈrusɪ/→/ˈrusʲɪ/→/ˈrusʲ/

• (ca. 9^th CE) IPA^(key): /ˈrusɪ/
• (ca. 11^th CE) IPA^(key): /ˈrusʲɪ/
• (ca. 13^th CE) IPA^(key): /ˈrusʲ/

Proper noun

Русь (Rusĭ) f (genitive Руси)

1. (collectively) Name of a group of Varangians, the ruling class in the principalities of Rus. [9th c.]
   • Hypatian Codex

     Афетово же колѣно и то Варѧзи . Свеи . Оурманє . Готѣ . Русь . Аглѧнѣ . Галичанѣ . Волохове . Римлѧнѣ . Нѣмци . Корлѧзи . Венедици . Фрѧговѣ . и прочии присѣдѧть ѿ запада къ полуденью. и съсѣдѧтсѧ съ племенем̑ Хамовомъ.

     Afetovo že kolěno i to Varęzi . Svei . Urmane . Gotě . Rusĭ . Aglęně . Galičaně . Voloxove . Rimlęně . Němci . Korlęzi . Venedici . Fręgově . i pročii prisědętĭ otŭ zapada kŭ poludenĭju. i sŭsědętsę sŭ plemenem̑ Xamovomŭ.

     The offspring of Japheth were the Varangians, Swedes, Norsemen, Goths, Rusĭ, Angles, Galicians, Vlachs, Romans, Germans, Korlyazi ["Carolingians", i.e. Franks], Venetians, Fryazi [Italians, Genovese] and others. In the west they are ajacent to the southern countries, and neighbours with the Hamites.

   • Hypatian Codex s.a. 6370 (862)

     идоша за море к Варѧгом̑ . к Руси . сіце бо звахуть . ты Варѧ̑гы Русь . ꙗко се друзии зовутсѧ Свеє . друзии же Оурмани . Аньглѧне . инѣи и Готе . тако и си ркоша.

     idoša za more k Varęgom̑ . k Rusi . sice bo zvaxutĭ . ty Varę̑gy Rusĭ . jako se druzii zovutsę Sveje . druzii že Urmani . Anĭglęne . iněi i Gote . tako i si rkoša.

     And they went overseas to the Varangians, to the Rusĭ. These particular Varangians were known as Rusĭ, just as some are called Swedes, and others Normans and Angles, and still others Gotlanders, for they were thus named.

2. (collectively) Inhabitants of Rus; East Slavic people. [10–12th cc.]

   Synonym: Русьскаꙗ землꙗ (Rusĭskaja zemlja)

Usage notes

Русь (Rusĭ) is the collective plural for the Varangian elite ruling Rus, the Old East Slavic state. A single individual is called a русинъ (rusinŭ), whence modern Russian руси́н (rusín, “Ruthenian”). While the Rus-Byzantine treaty of AD 911 is unclear on whether "Rus" refers just to the ruling elite or to the entire population, the treaty of 944 is explicit on the point that the "Rus" are "all people of the Rus land" (русьскаꙗ землꙗ (rusĭskaja zemlja)).

Derived terms

• русьскъ (rusĭskŭ)

Descendants

• Old Ruthenian: Русь f sg (Rusʹ)
  • Belarusian: Русь (Rusʹ)
  • Carpathian Rusyn: Русь (Rusʹ)
  • Ukrainian: Русь (Rusʹ)
• Middle Russian: Русь f sg (Rusʹ)
  • Russian: Русь f sg (Rusʹ)
    • → English: Rus
• → Arabic: رُوس (rūs)
• → Bulgar:
  • Chuvash: вырӑс (vyrăs)
• → Byzantine Greek: Ῥῶς m (Rhôs)
  • ⇒ Byzantine Greek: Ῥωσία f (Rhōsía), Ῥωσσία (Rhōssía)
    • Greek: Ρωσία f sg (Rosía)
    • → Old Church Slavonic: Роусиꙗ (Rusija)
      • Bulgarian: Руси́я (Rusíja)
    • → Medieval Latin: Rōssia f sg
    • → Middle Russian: Росі́ꙗ f sg (Rosíja), Россі́ꙗ f sg (Rossíja)
      • Russian: Росси́я (Rossíja) (see there for further descendants)
      • → Belarusian: Расі́я f sg (Rasíja)
      • → Polish: Rosja f sg
      • → Carpathian Rusyn: Росі́я f sg (Rosíja)
      • → Ukrainian: Росі́я f sg (Rosíja)
• → Kipchak: (/⁠orus⁠/)
  • Armeno-Kipchak: Որուս sg (Orus, “Ruthenia”); որուս sg (orus, “a Ruthene; [attributively] Ruthenian”), ուրուս sg (urus)
  • Kazakh:

    Arabic script: ورىس sg, ورىستار pl

    Cyrillic script: орыс sg (orys), орыстар pl (orystar)

  • Kyrgyz:

    Cyrillic script: орус sg (orus), орустар pl (orustar)

  • → Hungarian: orosz sg, oroszok pl
  • → Middle Mongol: 斡羅思 sg (/⁠orus⁠/), 斡魯速惕 pl (/⁠orusud⁠/)
    • Classical Mongolian: ᠣᠷᠤᠰ᠋ sg (orus, “Russia; a Russian, [attributively] Russian”)
      • Mongolian:

        Cyrillic script: Орос sg (Oros, “Russia”); орос (oros, “a Russian, [attributively] Russian”), оросууд pl (orosuud, “Russians”)

        Mongolian script: ᠣᠷᠤᠰ (orus, “Russia; a Russian, [attributively] Russian”), ᠣᠷᠤᠰᠤᠳ pl (orusud, “Russians”)

      • → Buryat: ород sg (orod, “a Russian; [attributively] Russian”), ородууд pl (oroduud, “Russians”); Орос sg (Oros, “Russia”)
      • → Khamnigan Mongol: орос sg (“a Russian; [attributively] Russian”), оросууд pl (“Russians”)
      • → Dzongkha: ཨུ་རུ་སུ (u ru su)
      • → Manchu: ᠣᡵᠣᠰ sg (oros)
        • → Mandarin: 俄羅斯 / 俄罗斯 (Éluósī)
          • → Japanese: 俄羅斯(オロス) (Orosu), 俄羅斯(オロシャ) (Orosha) (dated, rare)
          • → Korean: 아라사(俄羅斯) (Arasa) (obsolete)
          • → Vietnamese: Nga La Tư (俄羅斯) (obsolete)
      • → Tibetan: ཨུ་རུ་སུ (u ru su)
• ⇒ Medieval Latin: Russī m pl
  • → Albanian: Rusi
    • → Aromanian: Rusii
  • ⇒ Medieval Latin: Russia f sg
    • → Asturian: Rusia f sg
    • → English: Russia sg
      • → Hindi: रशिया f sg (raśiyā)
      • → Malay: Rusia sg
      • → Maori: Rūhia sg
      • → Russian: Ра́ша f sg (Ráša)
      • → Thai: รัสเซีย sg (rát-siia)
      • → Ukrainian: Ра́ша f sg (Ráša)
    • → French: Russie f sg
    • → Galician: Rusia f sg
    • → Indonesian: Rusia sg
    • → Italian: Russia f sg
    • → Norman: Russie f sg
    • → Romanian: Rusia f sg
    • → Spanish: Rusia f sg
    • → Venetan: Rusia f sg
    • ⇒ Medieval Latin: Russiānus
      • → English: Russian
• → Middle High German: Rûz, Riuz, Riuze
  • German: Russe m sg, Russen m pl; Russin f sg, Russinnen f pl
    • ⇒ English: Russ sg or pl, Russes pl
  • Yiddish: רוס m sg (rus), רוסן m pl (rusn)
• → Polish: Ruś

Old Ruthenian

Etymology

Inherited from Old East Slavic Роусь (Rusĭ), borrowed from Proto-Finnic *roocci, further borrowed from Old Norse *roþs-, from róðr, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *rōþrą. Cognate with Russian Русь (Rusʹ), Byzantine Greek Ῥῶς (Rhôs).

Proper noun

Русь • (Rusʹ) f inan

1. (collectively) Inhabitants of Rus; East Slavic people
2. Rus

Descendants

• Belarusian: Русь (Rusʹ)
• Carpathian Rusyn: Русь (Rusʹ)
• Ukrainian: Русь (Rusʹ)

Further reading

• Hrynchyshyn, D. H., editor (1978), “*Русь¹; Русь²”, in Словник староукраїнської мови XIV–XV ст. [Dictionary of the Old Ukrainian Language of the 14ᵗʰ–15ᵗʰ cc.] (in Ukrainian), volume 2 (Н – Ѳ), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka, page 309
• Bulyka, A. M., editor (2010), “Русь”, in Гістарычны слоўнік беларускай мовы [Historical Dictionary of the Belarusian Language] (in Belarusian), numbers 30 (ралецъ – рушать), Minsk: Belaruskaia navuka, →ISBN, page 485
• Stryzhak, O. S., editor (1985), “Рꙋсь”, in Етимологічний словник літописних географічних назв Південної Русі [Etymological Dictionary of Chronicle Geographical Names of Southern Rus'] (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka, page 117

Russian

Etymology

Inherited from Old East Slavic Русь (Rusĭ).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [rusʲ]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

Proper noun

Русь • (Rusʹ) f inan (genitive Руси́, nominative plural Ру́си, genitive plural Русе́й, relational adjective ру́сский)

1. Rus

   на Руси́ ― na Rusí ― in Rus (preposition "на", not "в" is used)

   Ки́евская Русь ― Kíjevskaja Rusʹ ― Kievan Rus

2. (poetic) Russia

   Synonym: (regular term) Росси́я (Rossíja)

3. (historical) Kievan Rus (A medieval principality in Eastern Europe centred around Kyiv; at its maximum extent covering much of modern Ukraine, Belarus and western Russia and considered an early predecessor of each country)
4. An umbrella term for the territory of modern Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, inhabited by the East Slavic Christian Orthodox people. Used until the 20th century.
5. name of a St. Petersburg daily newspaper published from 1903 to 1908
6. name of a special forces unit (ОСНАЗ) of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (formed 1994)

Usage notes

• Preposition на (na) should be used to express the location, e.g. "на Руси́" - in Rus, in Russia.

Declension

Declension of Русь (inan fem-form 3rd-decl accent-fʺ) 

	singular	plural
nominative	Ру́сь Rúsʹ	Ру́си Rúsi
genitive	Руси́ Rusí	Русе́й Ruséj
dative	Руси́ Rusí	Руся́м Rusjám
accusative	Ру́сь Rúsʹ	Ру́си Rúsi
instrumental	Ру́сью Rúsʹju	Руся́ми Rusjámi
prepositional	Руси́ Rusí	Руся́х Rusjáx

Pre-reform declension of Русь (inan fem-form 3rd-decl accent-fʺ) 

	singular	plural
nominative	Ру́сь Rúsʹ	Ру́си Rúsi
genitive	Руси́ Rusí	Русе́й Ruséj
dative	Руси́ Rusí	Руся́мъ Rusjám
accusative	Ру́сь Rúsʹ	Ру́си Rúsi
instrumental	Ру́сью Rúsʹju	Руся́ми Rusjámi
prepositional	Руси́ Rusí	Руся́хъ Rusjáx

Synonyms

• Ру́сская земля́ (Rússkaja zemljá)

Derived terms

• ру́сский (rússkij)
• Бе́лая Русь (Bélaja Rusʹ, “White Ruthenia, White Russia, Belarus”)
• Вели́кая Русь (Velíkaja Rusʹ, “Great Russia, Muscovy”)
• Карпа́тская Русь (Karpátskaja Rusʹ, “Carpathian Ukraine”)
• Ки́евская Русь (Kíjevskaja Rusʹ, “Kievan Rus”)
• Ма́лая Русь (Málaja Rusʹ, “Little Russia, Ukraine”)
• Русь-матушка (Rusʹ-matuška)
• Свята́я Русь (Svjatája Rusʹ, “Holy Rus', Holy Russia, the Russian Empire”)
• Чёрная Русь (Čórnaja Rusʹ, “Black Ruthenia”)
• вы́русь (výrusʹ, “a Russian who rejected their Russian identity for another”)
• не́русь (nérusʹ, “a non-ethnic Russian”)
• о́трусь (ótrusʹ, “a Russian who left their Russian identity”)
• ру́сич (rúsič, “an inhabitant of ancient Rus, a Rusyn”)

Descendants

• → Chinese:
  • Mandarin: 羅斯／罗斯 (Luósī)
• → Japanese: ルーシ (Rūshi)
• → Latin: Russia (New Latin)

Ukrainian

Etymology

Inherited from Old Ruthenian Русь (Rusʹ). By surface analysis, Proto-Germanic *rōþrą + -ь (-ʹ)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [rusʲ]

• Audio:

  (file)

Proper noun

Русь • (Rusʹ) f inan (genitive Ру́сі or Русі́ or Ру́си or Руси́, uncountable, relational adjective ру́ський)

1. Rus
2. (historical) Kievan Rus (A medieval principality in Eastern Europe centred around Kyiv; at its maximum extent covering much of modern Ukraine, Belarus and western Russia and considered an early predecessor of each country)

   Ки́ївська Русь ― Kýjivsʹka Rusʹ ― Kievan Rus

3. Ruthenia

Declension

Declension of Русь
(inan sg-only 3rd-decl fem-form accent-a/d)

	singular
nominative	Русь Rusʹ
genitive	Ру́сі, Русі́, Ру́си, Руси́ Rúsi, Rusí, Rúsy, Rusý
dative	Ру́сі, Русі́ Rúsi, Rusí
accusative	Русь Rusʹ
instrumental	Ру́ссю Rússju
locative	Русі́ Rusí
vocative	Ру́се Rúse

Synonyms

• Ру́ська земля́ (Rúsʹka zemljá)

Derived terms

• Ки́ївська Русь (Kýjivsʹka Rusʹ, “Kievan Rus”)
• Мала́ Русь (Malá Rusʹ, “Little Russia”)
• Підкарпа́тська Русь (Pidkarpátsʹka Rusʹ, “Subcarpathian Ruthenia”)
• Ру́ська земля́ (Rúsʹka zemljá, “Ruthenia”)
• Украї́на-Русь (Ukrajína-Rusʹ), Русь-Украї́на (Rusʹ-Ukrajína)
• Черво́на Русь (Červóna Rusʹ, “Red Ruthenia”) (Eastern Galicia)
• Чо́рна Русь (Čórna Rusʹ, “Black Ruthenia”)

Further reading

• “Русь”, in Горох – Словозміна [Horokh – Inflection] (in Ukrainian)
• “Русь”, in Kyiv Dictionary (in English)
• “Русь”, in Словник.ua [Slovnyk.ua] (in Ukrainian)