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Glite Dictionary
Russian dressing

Russian dressing

2 3.5
A creamy sauce for salads and sandwiches made from mayonnaise, horseradish, onion, and ketchup
  • noun
  • /ˈrʌʃən ˈdrɛsɪŋ/
  • US
translation icon : aderezo ruso
  • At the deli, we always ask for Russian dressing to give our sandwiches more flavor.
  • cheese and Russian dressing
  • coleslaw and Russian dressing
  • Russian dressing and sauerkraut

Examples

  • I love my Reuben sandwich with extra Russian dressing for that creamy taste.

  • I stir Hellmann's mayonnaise and Heinz ketchup, making Russian dressing.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • Oh, and lots of Russian dressing.

    Factory Girl (2006)

  • Daddy has a fit every time I order anything... with Russian dressing.

    One, Two, Three (1961)

  • Hold the Russian dressing.

    The Comedian (2016)

  • I enjoy Russian dressing.

    The Grand (2007)

  • "Corned beef, coleslaw, and Russian dressing," Marty said after the first bite.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • A half-pound of peel-and-eat white shrimp ($11) brings a half-dozen fat babies, luscious and tender, with a Mississippi-style "come back" sauce, a kicked-up Russian dressing.

    Blog text (29)

  • For my salad, I prefer Russian dressing because it adds a spicy kick.

Synonyms

Russian mayonnaise
vsRussian dressing
  • US
7.2

A thick cold sauce of mayonnaise mixed with horseradish, onion, and ketchup

is a pourable salad sauce using that flavored emulsion to dress greens

Surface Forms

Russian dressing singular
Russian dressings plural

Morphology

Russian + dressing

The compound 'Russian dressing' is compositionally built from 'Russian' (relating to Russia) + 'dressing' (a salad sauce), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a type or style of salad dressing associated with Russia. Although the exact ingredients are not predictable from the words alone, the basic meaning 'a kind of salad dressing' is directly derivable and cross-linguistically common.

Etymology

Russian dressing: one popular story says American cooks mixed mayonnaise with a little 'caviar' or strong 'horseradish', so people began to link the sauce with Russia. The word Russian pointed to those ingredients and dressing meant a sauce, so the name Russian dressing came to mean this mayo-based, slightly spicy salad or sandwich sauce.