Where does “Russia” come from?
Russia (Italian) comes 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, from Proto-Indo-European h₁reh₁- — to row; to separate; loose, sparse, rare.
Ancestry of “Russia”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Medieval Latin | Russi | Russians |
| 2 | Old East Slavic | Русь | Rus; Ruthenia |
| 3 | Finnish | ruotsi | Swedish |
| 4 | Proto-Finnic | *roocci | — |
| 5 | Old Swedish | roþs- | related to rowing |
| 6 | Old Norse | róðr | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | rōþrą | oar; rudder |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁reh₁- | to row; to separate; loose, sparse, rare |