Київ

Rusyn

Proper noun

Ки́їв • (Kýjiv) m

1. Kyiv (the capital city of Ukraine)

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Ukrainian

Etymology

From Old East Slavic Кꙑевъ (Kyevŭ), of uncertain origin.

The traditional etymology is from the name of a legendary founder, Кий (Kyj), mentioned in the Hypatian Codex. However, historian Michael Hrushevsky warned that this was an “etymological myth”.

A proposal by linguist Jaroslav Rudnyckyj, accepted by several émigré linguists and supported by multiple lines of evidence, holds that Київ (Kyjiv) comes rather from the same term as Modern Ukrainian кий (kyj, “stick, pole”), meaning a settlement palisaded ки́ями (kýjamy, “by poles”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈkɪjiu̯]

• Audio

  (file)

Proper noun

Ки́їв • (Kýjiv) m inan (genitive Ки́єва, uncountable, related adjective ки́ївський)

1. Kyiv (the capital city of Ukraine)

   у Ки́єві, у Ки́єву ― u Kýjevi, u Kýjevu ― in Kyiv

   у Ки́їв, до Ки́єва ― u Kýjiv, do Kýjeva ― to Kyiv

   з Ки́єва ― z Kýjeva ― from Kyiv

Declension

Declension of Ки́їв (inan sg-only hard masc-form accent-a і-е)

	singular
nominative	Ки́їв Kýjiv
genitive	Ки́єва Kýjeva
dative	Ки́єву Kýjevu
accusative	Ки́їв Kýjiv
instrumental	Ки́євом Kýjevom
locative	Ки́єву, Ки́єві Kýjevu, Kýjevi
vocative	Ки́єве Kýjeve

Derived terms

Derived terms

• Ки́євець (Kýjevecʹ)
• Ки́єво- (Kýjevo-)
• київля́нин (kyjivljányn), київля́нка (kyjivljánka)
• ки́ївський (kýjivsʹkyj)
• Ки́ївська о́бласть (Kýjivsʹka óblastʹ)
• Ки́ївська Русь (Kýjivsʹka Rusʹ)
• Ки́ївщина (Kýjivščyna)
• кия́нин (kyjányn), кия́нка (kyjánka)
• кия́нський (kyjánsʹkyj)

Descendants

Descendants

• → Afrikaans: Kijif
• → Breton: Kyiv
• → Catalan: Kíiv
• → Danish: Kyiv
• → Galician: Kíiv
• → German: Ky­jiw
• → English: Kyiv, Kiev, Kyïv, Kyjiv, Kyyiv; Kiou, Kiow, Kiovia, Kiowia, Kiew, Kief, Kieff
• → Extremaduran: Kyiv
• → French: Kyïv
• → Icelandic: Kýiv
• → Irish: Cív
• → Japanese: キーウ
• → Luxembourgish: Ky­jiw
• → Manx: Kyiv
• → North Frisian: Kyjiw
• → Norwegian: Kyiv
• → Occitan: Kyiv
• → Piedmontese: Kijv
• → Scots: Kyiv
• → Scottish Gaelic: Coighìbh
• → Walloon: Kiyif
• → Welsh: Kyiv

Further reading

• Rudnyc'kyj, Jaroslav B. (1982), “Ки́їв”, in An Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language (in English), volume 2: Д – Ь, Ottawa: Ukr. Mohylo-Mazepian Acad. of Sciences & Ukr. Lang. Assoc., page 660
• Luchyk, V. V. (2014), “Київ”, in Етимологічний словник топонімів України [Etymological Dictionary of Toponyms of Ukraine] (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Academy, →ISBN, page 259
• Stryzhak, O. S., editor (1985), “Кыєвъ”, in Етимологічний словник літописних географічних назв Південної Русі [Etymological Dictionary of Chronicle Geographical Names of Southern Rus'] (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka, page 77
• Melnychuk, O. S., editor (1985), “кий”, in Етимологічний словник української мови: у 7 т. [Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language: in 7 vols] (in Ukrainian), volume 2 (Д – Копці), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka, page 430
• “Київ”, in Горох – Словозміна [Horokh – Inflection] (in Ukrainian)
• “Ки́їв”, in Kyiv Dictionary (in English)
• Bilodid, I. K., editor (1970–1980), “Ки́їв”, in Словник української мови: в 11 т. [Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language: in 11 vols] (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka
• A. Rysin, V. Starko, et al. (compilers, 2011–2020), “Київ”, in English-Ukrainian Dictionaries