The lexical meaning of the word "Russia"

The lexical meaning of the word "Russia" in the explanatory dictionaries is given in several versions. We are talking about public education, a geographical object and the people living on its territory. It is formed from the ancient names of Russia, Rus and Rus. Read more about the lexical meaning of the word "Russia" in the article.

Several interpretations

Kremlin view

In the explanatory dictionary, the meaning of the word "Russia" is presented in several versions. Among them are the following:

  1. Firstly, it is a state that has power over part of eastern Europe and part of northern Asia. Example: “Like most states, Russia, in determining its external course, sets itself the task of combating international terrorism.”
  2. Secondly, it is a geographical and at the same time political term denoting the territory of our country. Example: “Going to Italy, Andrei Petrovich suddenly realized that, despite the interesting work that awaited him there, and living in a country with a rich culture, he left Russia with great regret.”
  3. Thirdly, in a figurative sense - this is the people living in this territory, its foundations, way of life, culture. Example: “For many centuries, foreigners have been trying to understand the distant and mysterious Russia. But they still haven’t understood it. ”

Studying the meaning of the word "Russia", one should consider the most general information concerning our country, given in dictionaries.

General information

St. Basil's Cathedral

The dictionaries also say about the meaning of the word “Russia” in the dictionaries, which is located in the north of Asia and in the eastern part of Europe. He has another name. The second official name is - Russian Federation. Its area was increased after the accession of the Crimean peninsula in 2014 and amounts to about 18 million square meters. km The number of residents is approaching 147 million people, which includes 2.3 million people living in Crimea. This is the ninth place in the world. More than one hundred nationalities live on the territory of Russia. In terms of GDP, the Russian Federation is in sixth place.

Among believers, Christians predominate, mostly Orthodox. Also present are Buddhists, Muslims and representatives of other religions. The capital of the state is Moscow. It has a federal structure and consists of entities endowed with equal rights. In 1993, the Constitution was adopted, which established republican rule in the country. The official language is Russian. At the head of the country is the President, who has been elected for six years since 2012. Since May 7, 2012, Vladimir Putin has been in this post, and Dmitry Medvedev has been taking the post of Prime Minister since May 08, 2012.

In continuation of the consideration of the meaning of the word “Russia” we give some additional facts.

Some details

Crimean peninsula

As part of Russia are 85 entities, of which:

  • 46 are areas;
  • 22 - republics;
  • 9 - edges;
  • 4 - autonomous okrugs;
  • 3 - cities of federal importance;
  • 1 - autonomous region.

In total, 157 thousand settlements are located in the country. It borders the Russian Federation with sixteen states and two that are only partially recognized. This indicator is greater than that of any other country.

Russia is a state where many nationalities live, differing in great ethnocultural diversity. 75% of the population consider themselves to be Orthodoxy, and therefore, Russia is a country where the Orthodox population is the largest in the world.

The Russian Federation is a nuclear power, while one of the leaders in industrial and space terms. Russia tops the ranking of the most educated countries in the world. Russian language belongs to languages ​​of world significance. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia was recognized in the international community as its successor state in such aspects as:

  • nuclear potential;
  • external debt;
  • state property abroad;
  • membership in the UN Security Council.

The Russian Federation consists of many international organizations.

In conclusion, consideration of the meaning of the word “Russia” is worth mentioning about its origin as the name of the state.

origin of name

Ivan groznyj

The first mention of the word under study is the inscription in the “Ladder” of John of Sinai (VII century). Since the middle of the X century. it is found in the writings of Konstantin Bagryanorodny, the Byzantine emperor, as the Greek name of Russia (Ρωσία).

The word "Russia" was first written in Cyrillic in 1387, when Metropolitan Kiprian signed the title as "Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia." In the XV-XVI centuries. this name was assigned to a part of the Russian land, united in one state headed by the Prince of Moscow. The state officially becomes a kingdom after the coronation of Ivan IV in 1547 and is called the Russian kingdom. The modern version of the spelling with two “c” appeared in the middle of the XVII century., And finally it was fixed under Peter I.


All Articles