Minsk (m?nsk) The capital and largest city of Belarus, in the central part of the country. It was first mentioned in 1067 as a settlement in Kievan Russia. Because of its strategic location, Minsk was ruled or occupied from the 1200s by various powers until Belarus gained independence in 1991.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.Minsk (m?nsk) n (Placename) the capital of Belarus: an industrial city and educational and cultural centre, with a university (1921). Pop: 1 709 000 (2005 est)Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014Minsk (m?nsk) n. the capital of Belarus, in the central part, on a tributary of the Berezina. 1,589,000. Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.