Kyiv
name, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Alternative form of Kiev (“chicken Kiev”). alt-of, alternative
- 1 The capital city of Ukraine and regional administrative centre of Kyiv Oblast.
"The Ukrainian government says Kyiv, Vinnytsia, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia and other cities have suffered a barrage of drone attacks, and pleaded with Western countries to step up their assistance in the face of the new challenge."
- 2 An oblast of Ukraine. Seat: Kyiv.
- 3 The Ukrainian government. metonymically
"“Ukraine’s future is within the EU,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Twitter after the decision, describing it as a “unique and historical moment” in Kyiv’s relations with the bloc."
- 4 Ellipsis of the Kyiv District, synonym of the Kyivskyi District: an urban raion of Donetsk, Donetsk Raion, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine; under Russian occupation. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
- 5 Ellipsis of Kyiv Peninsula: a peninsula in Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"Kyiv is mother of Ruthenian cities."
Etymology
Transliteration of Ukrainian Ки́їв (Kýjiv), from Old East Slavic Кꙑевъ (Kyjevŭ), traditionally said to derive from the name of city's legendary founder, Kyi. Other proposals derive it from Proto-Slavic *kyjь (“stick, club, hammer”) (compare to Ukrainian кий (kyj)). See also at the article about Old East Slavic Кꙑевъ (Kyjevŭ).
Related phrases
More for "kyiv"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.