moscow

IPA/ˈmɒs.kəʊ/
KK[mˈɑskˌo]IPA/ˈmɑː.skoʊ/

moscow — noun

1. the capital and largest city of Russia, located in the western part of the count

1.nounA1
Definition

the capital and largest city of Russia, located in the western part of the country on the Moscow River

Example

Bao took a train from St Petersburg to Moscow last winter.

preposition pattern: from [place] to Moscow

Moscow has some of the busiest metro stations in the world.

Common collocations
  • visit Moscow
  • Moscow Kremlin
  • Moscow metro
  • downtown Moscow
  • central Moscow

Common Mistakes

St Petersburg is the capital of Russia.
Moscow is the capital of Russia.
St Petersburg was the capital from 1712 to 1918, but Moscow has been the capital since 1918.

2. a river in western Russia that runs east for roughly five hundred kilometres bef

2.nounB2
Definition

a river in western Russia that runs east for roughly five hundred kilometres before joining the Oka

Example

The Moscow River freezes over every year from December until March.

collocation: Moscow River + freezes over

Soraya watched boats travel along the Moscow River near the Kremlin.

Common collocations
  • Moscow River
  • along the Moscow River
  • cross the Moscow River
  • banks of the Moscow River

Word family

  • Muscovite
    nounC1
  • Muscovy
    nounC2

Common collocations

Prepositions

  • in Moscow
  • to Moscow
  • from Moscow
  • near Moscow
  • outside Moscow

Etymology

Old East SlavicRussianEnglish

The name Moscow comes from the Moscow River, called Moskva in Russian. The river's name is older than the city and may trace back to an ancient Baltic or Finnic word meaning 'dark' or 'muddy water'. The settlement that became the city took its name from the river when it was founded in the 12th century.