"native or citizen of Russia," 1530s, from Medieval Latin Russianus, from Russia (see Russia). Slang or colloquial or slang Russki, Ruski "Russian" (by 1858) is from Russian Russkiy. Russian roulette attested from 1937. Russian dressing for salads is from 1915. The expression scratch a Russian, find a Tatar, frequent from 1842 and conventional wisdom on the topic, might be from a French original.

*erə-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to row." It forms all or part of: row (v.) "propel with oars;" rudder; Russia; Russian; trireme.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit aritrah "oar;" Greek eressein "to row," eretmon "oar," trieres "trireme;" Latin remus "oar;" Lithuanian iriu, irti "to row," irklas "oar;" Old Irish rome "oar," Old English roðor "rudder," rowan "go by water, row."

Russian unit of distance measure equal to about two-thirds of a mile, 1550s, from Russian versta, related to Old Church Slavonic vrusta "stadium," vruteti (Russian vertet) "to turn," from Balto-Slavic *wirsta- "a turn, bend," from PIE root *wer- (2) "to turn, bend."

1., from Russian oktyabrist, "member of the league formed October 1905 in response to imperial policies"; 2., from Russian Oktyabryonok, "member of a Russian communist children's organization founded 1925 and named in honor of the October Revolution." See October + -ist.

member of a Russian aristocratic class, 1590s, from Russian boyarin (plural boyare), perhaps from boji "struggle," or from Slavic root *bol- "great." Originally a title (abolished by Peter the Great) of officials; over time it came to signify the Russian aristocracy generally.

1800, as a Russian word in English, in a description of late 18th century Russian life where it is described as "rectified corn-spirits;" from Russian vodka, literally "little water," diminutive of voda "water" (from PIE *woda-, suffixed form of root *wed- (1) "water; wet") + diminutive suffix -ka.

1981, from Russian perestroika, literally "rebuilding, reconstruction, reform" (of Soviet society, etc.), from pere- "re-" (from Old Russian pere- "around, again," from Proto-Slavic *per-, from PIE root *per- (1) "forward," hence "through, around, against") + stroika "building, construction," from Old Russian stroji "order," from PIE *stroi-, from root *stere- "to spread." First proposed at the 26th Party Congress (1981); popularized in English 1985 during Mikhail Gorbachev's leadership of the U.S.S.R.

1907, from Russian men'shevik, from men'she "lesser" (comparative of malo "little," from PIE root *mei- (2) "small") + -evik "one that is." So called by Lenin because they were a minority in the party. The Russian word was used earlier in reference to the minority faction of the Social-Democratic Party when it split in 1903. See Bolshevik. As a noun from 1917. Russian plural mensheviki occasionally was used in English. Related: Menshevism; Menshevist.

"Russian soup made with beets and cabbage," 1884, from Russian borshch "cow parsnip," which was an original recipe ingredient. Borscht belt "region of predominantly Jewish resorts in and around the Catskill Mountains of New York" (also known as the Yiddish Alps) is by 1938.

1877, "relatively well-to-do Russian farmer or trader," from Russian kulak (plural kulaki) "tight-fisted person," literally "fist," from Turki (Turkish) kul "hand." In the jargon of Soviet communism, applied in contempt and derision to those who worked for their own profit.