/rooh thee"nee euhn, -theen"yeuhn/ , adj.
1. of or pertaining to the Little Russians, esp. a division of them dwelling in Galicia, Ruthenia, and neighboring regions.
n.
2. one of the Ruthenian people.
3. the dialect of Ukrainian spoken in Ruthenia.
4. a member of a former Orthodox religious group that entered into communion with the Roman Catholic Church in 1596 and became the "Uniate Church of the Little Russians."
[ 1840-50; RUTHENI(A) + -AN ]