Русь

Belarusian

Etymology

From Old East Slavic Русь (Rusĭ).

Proper noun

Русь • (Rusʹ) f inan

1. Rus
2. Kievan Rus
3. Ruthenia, "Old Russia"

Synonyms

• Ру́ская зямля́ (Rúskaja zjamljá)

Compounds

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

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Old East Slavic

Alternative forms

• Рꙋсь (Rusĭ), Рꙋсь (Rusĭ)

Etymology

Possibly from Finnish Ruotsi (“Sweden”) (compare Сумь (Sumĭ) < Suomi, Весь (Vesĭ) < Vepsä / *Vepsi), from Old Norse Róðrsland (“the land of rowing”), older name of Roslagen, where the Finns and Swedes first met.

The Old East Slavic (Old Russian) 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.

Proper noun

Русь (Rusĭ) ?

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

     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.

   • 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 Svee . 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.]

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)).

Synonyms

• Русьскаꙗ землꙗ (Rusĭskaja zemlja)

Derived terms

• русьскъ (rusĭskŭ)

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Russian

Etymology

From Old East Slavic Русь (Rusĭ).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [rusʲ]

Proper noun

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

1. Rus

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

2. (poetic) Russia
3. Kievan Rus
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

Synonyms

• Ру́сская земля́ (Rússkaja zemljá)

Derived terms

• ру́сский (rússkij)
• Ки́евская Русь (Kíjevskaja Rusʹ, “Kievan Rus”)
• Вели́кая Русь (Velíkaja Rusʹ, “Great Russia, Muscovy”)
• Ма́лая Русь (Málaja Rusʹ, “Little Russia, Ukraine”)
• Бе́лая Русь (Bélaja Rusʹ, “White Ruthenia, White Russia, Belarus”)
• Чёрная Русь (Čórnaja Rusʹ, “Black Ruthenia”)
• Карпа́тская Русь (Karpátskaja Rusʹ, “Carpathian Ukraine”)

Descendants

• Latin: (New Latin) Russia

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Ukrainian

Etymology

From Old East Slavic Русь (Rusĭ).

Proper noun

Русь • (Rusʹ) f inan (genitive Ру́сі or Русі́, nominative plural [please provide])

1. Rus
2. Kievan Rus
3. Ruthenia

Synonyms

• Ру́ська земля́ (Rúsʹka zemljá)

Compounds

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