Where does “Red Russia” come from?

Red Russia (English) comes from English Russia, from Medieval Latin Russi, from Old East Slavic Русь, from Finnish ruotsi, from Proto-Finnic *roocci, from Old Swedish roþs-, from Old Norse róðr, from Proto-Germanic rōþrą — to row; to separate; loose, sparse, rare.

Red Russia (English): The former USSR

Definitions

  1. The former USSR

Ancestry of “Red Russia”, step by step

Red Russia traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Russia

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishRussiaIt borders the Pacific and Arctic Oceans and the Baltic, Black, and Caspian Seas. Part of the Soviet Union from 1917 through 1991
2Medieval LatinRussiRussians
3Old East SlavicРусьRus; Ruthenia
4FinnishruotsiSwedish
5Proto-Finnic*roocciSwede originally anyone from Roslagen
6Old Swedishroþs-related to rowing
7Old Norseróðrrowing
8Proto-Germanicrōþrąoar; rudder
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁reh₁-to row; to separate; loose, sparse, rare

via English Red

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishRedA Communist; A supporter of a sports team who...
2EnglishredeHelp, advice, counsel; Decision, a plan; To...
3Middle Englishredento counsel, advise; to study; to read
4Old Englishrǣdanto read, interpret; to counsel, advise; plot,...
5Proto-West Germanicrādanto advise, counsel, help; to devise, decide,...
6Proto-Germanicrēdanąto decide, advise
7Proto-Indo-EuropeanHreh₁dʰ-to think; to arrange; to succeed, accomplish
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂reh₁-to think, reason; to arrange
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂er-to fit, to fix, to put together
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁reh₁-