Київ

Rusyn

Proper noun

Ки́їв • (Kýjiv) m

1. Kiev

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Ukrainian

Etymology

From Old East Slavic Кꙑѥвъ (Kyjevŭ), through Old Ukrainian Кї́євь (Kjíjevʹ), Middle Ukrainian Ки́єв (Kýjev), Кі́евъ (Kíev), Ки́евъ (Kýev).

The traditional etymology is from the name the a legendary founder кии (kii, in Old Church Slavonic), mentioned in the Hypatian Codex (see Kyi, Shchek and Khoryv on Wikipedia). Compare Ukrainian Кий (Kyj), Russian Ки́ев (Kíjev) and Кий (Kij). 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 comes rather from кий (kyj, “stick, pole”), meaning a settlement palisaded ки́ями (kýjamy, “by poles”). The word comes from Proto-Slavic *kyjь (“pole, hammer”), from Proto-Indo-European *kū-i̯os (“pole, hammer”), *kāu̯-, *kəu̯-, related to *kūti (“to hit”), from *koutei.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈkɪjiu̯]

• Audio:

  (file)

Proper noun

Ки́їв • (Kýjiv) m inan (genitive Ки́єва, nominative plural [please provide])

1. Kiev (the capital city of Ukraine)

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)

References

• Melnychuk, O. S., editor (1982–2012), “кий”, in Етимологічний словник української мови [Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language] (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka
• Rudnyc'kyj, Ja. (1962–1982) “Київ”, in An Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language, Winnipeg, Ottawa: Ukrainian Free Academy of Sciences; Ukrainian Mohylo-Mazepian Academy of Sciences; Ukrainian Language Association, →LCCN, page кий of 660–667