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Definition 2025

Київ

Київ

Ukrainian

Proper noun

Ки́їв • ‎(Kýjiv) m inan ‎(genitive Ки́єва)

  1. Kiev (capital of Ukraine)

Declension

Derived terms

References

  • Melʹnyčuk O. S., editor (1982–2012), “кий”, in Etymolohičnyj slovnyk ukrajinsʹkoji movy [Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language] (in Ukrainian), Kiev: Naukova Dumka
  • Rudnycʼkyj, Jaroslav B. (1982), “Київ”, in An Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language (in Ukrainian), volume II, Ottawa: Ukrainian Mohylo-Mazepian Academy of Sciences, Ukrainian Language Association, pages 660–667

Etymology

From Old East Slavic Кꙑѥвъ ‎(Kyjevŭ).

The traditional etymology is from the name of a legendary founder, кии ‎(kii), mentioned in the Hypatian Codex (see Kyi, Shchek and Khoryv in Wikipedia). Compare Ukrainian Кий ‎(Kyj), Russian Киев ‎(Kíjev), from Кий ‎(Kij). However, historian Michael Hrushevsky warned that this was an “etymological myth”.

A proposal by linguist Jaroslav Rudnyckyj holds that Київ comes from кий ‎(kyj, “stick, pole”), meaning a settlement palisaded киями ‎(kýjamy, “by poles”). This etymology has been accepted by several émigré linguists, and supported by multiple lines of evidence. In turn, the word comes from Proto-Slavic *kyjь ‎(“pole, hammer”), from Proto-Indo-European *kū-i̯os ‎(“pole, hammer”), *kāu̯-, *kəu̯-, related to Proto-Indo-European *kūti ‎(“to hit”), from *koutei.

Compare Middle Ukrainian Києв ‎(Kyjev), Кіевъ ‎(Kievъ), Киевъ ‎(Kyevъ), Old Ukrainian Кїєвь ‎(Kijev’).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈkɪjiu̯/

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