urals
urals Lexical Profile
• noun
A major mountain range running roughly north to south through western Russia and northwestern Kazakhstan, traditionally considered the natural geographical boundary between the continents of Europe and Asia.
"The geological expedition spent three months mapping the rich mineral deposits hidden within the Urals."
A reference brand and pricing benchmark used for the primary export oil mixture from Russia.
"Global energy markets closely watched the discount widening between Brent crude and Urals following the new international trade sanctions."
Word Nuance & Usage
Typically capitalized as 'Urals' in running text, serving as a plural proper noun for the mountain range, or as a mass noun for the Russian crude oil benchmark.
• Rhymes for urals
Word Origin & Etymology
From Russian 'Ural', which was likely borrowed from the Bashkir language, where 'Ural' is a traditional name and hero of epic poetry, possibly translating to 'belt' in reference to the mountain range's shape.