Russian Academy

a scientific center for the study of Russian language and philology in St. Petersburg (1783–1841). In 1841 it was made the Second Division of the Academy of Sciences, and subsequently it became the Division of Russian Language and Philology. Its first president was Princess E. P. Dashkova (1783–96) and its permanent secretary, Academician I. I. Lepekhin (1783–1802). During the 18th century the academy included the writers D. I. Fonvizin, G. R. Derzhavin, and Ia. B. Kniazhnin and the scholars S. Ia. Rumovskii, A. P. Protasov, and S. M. Kotel’nikov. During the 19th century, P. A. Viazemskii, V. A. Zhukovskii, I. A. Krylov, A. S. Pushkin, and others were members. From 1813 to 1841 the president was Admiral A. S. Shishkov. The Russian Academy published the Defining Dictionary of the Russian Language (1789–94); the second supplementary edition, published between 1806 and 1822, included more than 51,000 words.