Type Country, Political Subdivision & Region
Usage English
Meaning & History
From Russian Осетия (Osetiya), from Georgian ოსეთი (oseti) derived from ოსი (osi) meaning "Ossetian". The name comes from As, the self-designation of the historic Alan people. This is the name of an ethnolinguistic region in the Caucasus encompassing both North Ossetia–Alania (a political subdivision of Russia) and South Ossetia (a disputed territory and sovereign state).