[mawl-doh-vuh] 
| official name of Moldavia (def. 2). |
[mol-dey-vee-uh, -vyuh] | 1. | a region in NE Romania: formerly a principality that united with Wallachia to form Romania. Capital: Jassy. |
| 2. | Official name, Moldova. Formerly, Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic. a republic in SE Europe: formed in 1940 from the former republic of Moldavia and the ceded Romanian territory of Bessarabia. 4,341,000, 13,100 sq. mi. (33,929 sq. km). Capital: Kishinev. |
Mol·do·va (mŏl-dō'və, môl-)  (click for larger image in new window) A country of eastern Europe bordering on Romania. Comprised of lands acquired by Russia from the historical region of Moldavia in 1791, 1793, and 1812 and (after 1940) part of Bessarabia, it was established as an autonomous republic of the USSR in 1924 and became a constituent republic in 1940, known as the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic. Moldova declared its independence in 1991. Chişināu is the capital and the largest city. Population: 4,320,000. Mol·do'van adj. & n. |
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