Ras ‧ pu ‧ tin, Gri ‧ go ‧ ri /ræˈspjuːtɪn, ɡrɪˈɡɔːri/ BrE AmE
(1872–1916) a Russian who claimed to be a holy man, and who had a lot of power in the Russian government because of his influence over Alexandra, the wife of the Tsar (=ruler) ↑ Nicholas II . He was known especially for his immoral sexual behaviour and for the fact that, when he was murdered by his enemies, they had great difficulty in killing him.