Little Russia

English

Proper noun

Little Russia

1. (historical) The territory of the former Russian Empire inhabited by Ukrainians, approximately corresponding to modern central and eastern Ukraine.
   • 1928, Constance Garnett, translating Nicolai Gogol, ‘Old-world Landowners’:

     I am very fond of the modest manner of life of those solitary owners of remote villages, who in Little Russia are commonly called ‘old-fashioned’ […].

2. (historical) The former Imperial Russian administrative subdivisions in north central Ukraine.

Usage notes

• The term reflects the former status of Ukraine and Ukrainians in the Russian Empire, and went out of general use after the Russian Revolution of 1917. It is an anachronism, if not used in a historical context, and can be offensive to Ukrainians.

Related terms

• Ruthenia

Translations

a historical area

• Belarusian: Мала́я Русь f (Malája Rusʹ), Мала́я Расі́я f (Malája Rasíja), Маларо́сія f (Malarósija)
• Bulgarian: Малору́сия f (Malorúsija)
• Danish: Lillerusland
• Finnish: Vähä-Venäjä (fi)
• French: Petite Russie (fr) f
• Georgian: მალოროსია (malorosia)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: Kleinrussland n
• Latvian: Mazkrievija f
• Polish: Małoruś f, Małorosja f
• Romanian: Mica Rusie f
• Russian: Ма́лая Русь f (Málaja Rusʹ), Ма́лая Росси́я f (Málaja Rossíja), Малоро́ссия (ru) f (Maloróssija), Малору́ссия f (Malorússija) (less common)
• Ukrainian: Мала́ Русь f (Malá Rusʹ), Мала́ Росі́я f (Malá Rosíja), Малоро́сія f (Malorósija)

References

• Magocsi, Paul Robert (1986). Ukraine: A Historical Atlas. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. →ISBN.