Russian

Less common meanings

4. 4
   Sovietadjectivedated

   Relating to the Soviet Union or its government and institutions.

   The Russian bloc dominated Eastern Europe for decades after the war.

   In the 1970s, diplomats negotiated arms limits with the Russian government in Moscow.

   SimilarSoviet

   Note

   An old habit of English: for decades it said Russian where the multinational Soviet Union was meant, letting the dominant republic stand for the whole. The usage is now dated, and Soviet is the precise word today. When the subject is the USSR rather than Russia itself, Russian reads as either old-fashioned or loosely wrong. Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

   • English historically used Russian for the Soviet Union, reflecting the dominance of its Russian constituent republic. en.wikipedia.org
   • The Soviet Union was multinational. reaganlibrary.gov
5. 5
   noundatedcountable

   A person who is from the Soviet Union.

   Note

   The noun went the same way as the dated Soviet adjective and is now just as dated. It once stretched to cover anyone from the Soviet Union, whatever their own nationality. Today someone from the Baltic republics of that era is called a Soviet citizen or named by their own nationality. Calling them Russians on that basis alone is an error, not merely an old-fashioned choice. Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

   • Russian formerly meant a person from the Soviet Union, without specifying ethnicity. en.wiktionary.org
   • Some residents of the Soviet-era Baltic republics were ethnic Russians. Russian is therefore not necessarily an incorrect description; Soviet citizenship alone does not establish Russian ethnicity. stat.ee
6. 6
   medieval Kievadjectivedated

   Relating to Rus, the medieval East Slavic state centered on Kiev.

   Russian merchants of the tenth century traded furs with Byzantium.

   The Russian lands were divided among rival princes after Yaroslav's death.

   Note

   Older histories used the word for the medieval world of Rus, the Kiev-centered state whose name, filtered through Latin, became Russia (see the core adjective). The usage is dated. A modern reader who meets "Russian merchants of the tenth century" should picture Rus, not the later country. In new writing, the name of the medieval state is clearer than the adjective. Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts

   • Russian has historically been used to mean relating to Rus. en.wiktionary.org
   • Rus was a medieval East Slavic state centered on Kiev. en.wiktionary.org
   • The English name Russia derives from Rus through Latin. en.wiktionary.org
   • In the medieval sense, Russian refers to Rus rather than the later country. en.wiktionary.org
7. 7
   catnouncountable or uncountable

   A Russian Blue: a breed of short-haired, blue-gray domestic cat associated with Russia, or a cat of this breed.

   The Russian is known for its quiet, gentle temperament.

   British cat shows first gave the Russian a class of its own in 1912.

8. 8
   sausagenounSouth Africacountable or uncountable

   A kind of sausage derived from the Russian sausage known as kolbasa.

   At the school fair they sold Russians in rolls, smothered in fried onions and tomato sauce.

   Order a Russian and chips at a Cape Town corner cafe and you get a fat, smoky sausage with a pile of fries.

   Note

   A South African name for a sausage descended from kolbasa. It works both ways grammatically: you can fry a Russian, or buy some Russian by weight. Outside South Africa the word will not be understood as food without context, so writers addressing other readers usually add "sausage" or explain it. Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact

   • The South African sausage called a Russian derives from kolbasa. en.wiktionary.org
9. 9
   verbobsoletetransitive

   To compel or force someone to act through Russian influence or pressure.

   Note

   An obsolete verb that turned the nationality into an action: to be Russianed was to be pushed into something by Russian pressure. It took a direct object and inflected regularly, as in Russianed and Russianing. A modern reader who meets it should understand "coerced," and a writer today would use it only as a deliberate archaism. Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

   • Russian was an obsolete verb meaning to compel someone through Russian influence or pressure. en.wiktionary.org
   • The verb was transitive. en.wiktionary.org
   • The verb had regular forms Russianed and Russianing. en.wiktionary.org
10. 10
    noun

    A type of juggling ball with a hard outer shell, filled with salt, sand, or a similar material.

    Ok, I do think I am starting to get used to it, but you have to admit, if youve^([sic]) been juggling bags and then start juggling Russians, they feel sooo lopsided to juggle at first!

    2011, jamescoutry24, “Beanbags > Russian”
11. 11
    nounslangUK

    A firearm, in slang reflecting a gang preference for Russian-made weapons.
12. 12
    nounslangUK

    A person from or near the Brandon Estate, an area also called Moscow.