n. & adj.
n. 1 a a native or national of Russia or the Soviet Union. b a person of Russian descent. 2 the language of Russia and the official language of the Soviet Union.
adj. 1 of or relating to Russia. 2 of or in Russian. Russian boot a boot that loosely encloses the calf. Russian olive = OLEASTER. Russian roulette 1 an act of daring in which one (usu. with others in turn) squeezes the trigger of a revolver held to one's head with one chamber loaded, having first spun the chamber. 2 a potentially dangerous enterprise. Russian salad a salad of mixed diced vegetables with mayonnaise. Russianize v.tr. (also -ise). Russianization n. Russianness n.
[ med.L Russianus ]