Ruritanianadj.n.
/ˌrʊərᵻˈteɪnɪən/, U.S. /ˌrʊrəˈteɪniən/ A. adj.
Of, relating to, or characteristic of Ruritania, esp. with reference to romantic adventure and intrigue. More generally: of or relating to any imaginary or hypothetical country. Cf. Ruritania n.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of imagination > mental image, idea, or fancy > realm of imagination > [adjective]
translunary1627
otherworldly1873
other world1882
other-worldish1894
Ruritanian1894
Vegan1940
subcreative1947
1894 ‘A. Hope’ Prisoner of Zenda i. 9 Prince Rudolf..was adroitly smuggled off by the Ruritanian ambassador.
1896 G. B. Shaw in Sat. Rev. 11 Jan. 39/1 Our common sense which, if aroused, must immediately put a summary stop to the somewhat silly Ruritanian gambols of our imagination.
1902 Daily Chron. 21 Nov. 5/4 ‘The Traitors’ is a spirited example of what may be called Ruritanian romance.
1977 Times 5 Nov. 15/3 The modern world..invaded the ‘ruritanian charm’ of the travel writers.
1989 Nature 28 Sept. 352/1 A Ruritanian biochemist with any pride or confidence in his work will want to bring it before a wider public than is reached by Ruritanica Biochimica Acta.
2003 New Yorker 5 May 67/3 Khairi resembles the Ruritanian nobles and government ministers depicted in Hergé's Tintin books.
B. n.
A native or inhabitant of Ruritania; a person associated with romantic adventure and intrigue. More generally: an imaginary or hypothetical person.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabitant > inhabitant according to environment > [noun] > inhabitant of imaginary or ideal place
utopian1551
Arcadian1590
hyperborean1601
eutopian1629
Ruritanian1894
1894 ‘A. Hope’ Prisoner of Zenda ii. 24 Every Ruritanian knows Duke Michael.
1935 Punch 20 Mar. 335/1 The third volume of The Story of My Life by Marie, Queen of Roumania..consists almost entirely of entries in the author's diaries. A book for Ruritanians and royalists.
1976 A. V. Levontin Choice of Law & Confl. of Laws iii. 61 The Ruritanians hold it politic or fair to enable a testator to draw his will in a form known and used at the place where the testator finds himself.
1994 Analog Sci. Fiction & Fact Jan. 45/2 Its players, comic-opera Ruritanians on herky-jerky black and white newsreels.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2011; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.n.1894