Ruthenian

[ roo-thee-nee-uhn, -theen-yuhn ]

adjective

1. Also Ru·thene []. of or relating to the inhabitants of Ruthenia, Galicia, and neighboring regions.

noun

1. one of the Ruthenian people.
2. the dialect of Ukrainian spoken in Ruthenia.
3. a member of a former Orthodox religious group that entered into communion with the Roman Catholic Church in 1596 and became the “Uniate Church of the Little Russians.”

Ruthenian

/ ruːˈθiːnɪən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Ruthenia, its people, or their dialect of Ukrainian

noun

1. a dialect of Ukrainian
2. a native or inhabitant of Ruthenia

Word History and Origins

Origin of Ruthenian¹

First recorded in 1840–50; Rutheni(a) + -an

Example Sentences

Ruthenian is a language intermediate between Russian and Polish, but quite independent of both.

From Project Gutenberg

Poland's claims were to be left to the self-determination of the Silesian and Ruthenian populations.

From Project Gutenberg

Mr. Ardan says Ruthenian men and women drink, "farmers and Protestants being exceptions."

From Project Gutenberg

There are four Ruthenian weeklies and one monthly published in this country, and some books.

From Project Gutenberg

With regard to the Ruthenian districts of Hungary also they had made demands which had been refused by me.

From Project Gutenberg