[byel-oh-ruhsh-uh, bel-oh-] 
| 1. | Official name, Belarus. Formerly, White Russian Soviet Socialist Republic, Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. a republic in E Europe, N of Ukraine: formerly a part of the Soviet Union. 10,439,916; 80,154 sq. mi. (207,600 sq. km). Capital: Minsk. |
| 2. | a region in the W part of former czarist Russia. |
Be·la·rus (běl'ə-rōōs', běl'ə-rōōs', byěl'-)  (click for larger image in new window) A country of eastern Europe east of Poland and west of Russia. Originally settled by Slavs, the region was subject to Lithuania and Poland before passing to Russia in the late 18th century. It was a constituent republic of the USSR, known as the Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, from 1922 to 1991. Minsk is the capital and the largest city. Population: 9,720,000. |
əˈrus