Learn Russian: Что означает это слово?

While the verb значить gives us the discourse marker значит (meaning 'so' or 'therefore'), its closely related verb означать is typically used when asking for the direct, formal definition or translation of a specific word, sign, or symbol. However, asking Что значит это слово? is also extremely common and perfectly correct in everyday speech.

What case are Что and это слово in this sentence?

Что is in the accusative case here, acting as the direct object (the meaning being produced). это слово is in the nominative case, acting as the subject (the word that holds the meaning). Since neuter nouns and the pronoun что look identical in both their nominative and accusative forms, you have to rely on logic and context to see which is the subject.

Why is the subject это слово at the very end of the sentence?

This is a classic example of Russian Object-Verb-Subject (OVS) word order. In Russian questions, the subject is frequently placed after the verb to create a smooth, natural flow. While Что это слово означает? (Subject-Verb) is grammatically fine, placing the subject at the end is the standard, most idiomatic way to ask for a definition.