Belarus
/bɛləˈruːs/
proper noun
Origin
Old East Slavic
Bělá Rusь — White Rus'
Overview
Meaning Now
- A landlocked country in Eastern Europe, formerly a constituent republic of the Soviet Union.
Literal older meaning
White Rus'
Language path
Old East Slavic → Belarusian → English
Earliest form
Bělá Rusь
Earliest period
12th–13th century
Journey
The prefix 'White' (Běla) in the name 'White Rus'' has several proposed origins. Some historians suggest it referred to the 'White' (independent or free) lands of Rus' that were not subject to Mongol tribute, while others argue it referred to the traditional clothing or the hair color of the inhabitants, or even a system of geographical color-coding used by ancient Turkic peoples to denote cardinal directions (where white represented the west).
Evolution
- 13th century
Bělá Rusь
“White Rus' (a historical designation for regions in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania)”
- 19th century
Belorussiya
“The western region of the Russian Empire (Russian: Белоруссия)”
Introduced during the period of Russification.
- 1991
Belarus
“Official name of the sovereign state”
Adopted following independence from the Soviet Union to move away from the Russian-centric terminology.
Connections
Word parts
Bel-
root
white
-arus
root
Rus' (the historical land/people)
Related across languages
Belarusian
Беларусь
Belarus
Russian
Белоруссия
Byelorussia
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External references use DefinedTerm semantics.