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Belorussian

Belorussian

1 7.6
A person from Belarus
  • noun
  • /ˌbɛləˈrʌʃən/
  • Archaic
translation icon : bielorruso
  • In my thoughts a thousand times I offhandedly telephoned Milosz, a thousand times I bashfully approached him in the yards of Berkeley, a thousand times I greeted him in splendid Lithuanian or Belorussian.

Examples

  • With two-thirds of its population Polish and Catholic, the country's ethnic problems with the Ukrainian-Ruthenian, Jewish, German, and Belorussian minorities were serious but not quite as troubling as its preoccupation with the security of its borders.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Many Belorussian families celebrate their traditional holidays with great enthusiasm.

  • Except for 9 Belorussians and 3 Ukrainians, all of the respondents in this group were ethnic Russians.

    Academic text (2001)
  • Together with Ukrainians and Belorussians, they constitute approximately one third of Estonia's population today.

    Academic text (2001)
  • He listened to the blissful chirping of Belorussian folk songs until the news returned again at the hour for ten minutes.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Armed and wearing a Belorussian coat and bast shoes, Gershanovich went off at night into the thick of the enemy in order to destroy them and visit his dead children.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Following the spread of Slavic tribes into the region, the eastern Slavic culture proliferated into Russian, Ukrainian, and Belorussian ethnicities.

    Academic text (2000)
  • I used to take her with me wherever I went: deep into the Belorussian countryside, to a cabana on the shores of the Black Sea, to Leningrad, to Siberia, to Tbilisi...

    Fiction book (2000)
  • The Belorussian language is spoken by millions of people in Belarus.

  • The Belorussian culture is rich in folklore, music, and art that reflects its history.

Synonyms

Byelorussian
vsBelorussian
  • Archaic
1 8.8

A person from Belarus

has the same meaning but uses a different spelling form

Surface Forms

Belorussian singular
Belorussians plural

Morphology

Belorussian = Belorussia (transparent) = Belorussia + n

The suffix '-n' is a common way to form demonyms from country names.

Etymology

Belorussian comes from the older name 'Byelorussia', which means 'White Russia': the part belo- means 'white' and Rus' is the same as in Russia, meaning 'land of the Rus'. So a Belorussian is a person from that country, which is now called Belarus.