A city of western Russia south of Moscow. First mentioned in 1146, it was an important fortress in the 16th century and became an armament-manufacturing center in 1712. Population: 466,000.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.