Київ

Ки́їв • (Kýjiv) m

1. Kyiv (the capital city of Ukraine)

From Old East Slavic Киевъ (Kievŭ), of uncertain origin.

The traditional etymology is from the name of a legendary founder, Kyi. However, historian Mykhailo Hrushevsky warned that this was an “etymological myth”.

A proposal by linguist Jaroslav Rudnyckyj, accepted by several linguists and supported by multiple lines of evidence, holds that Київ (Kyjiv) comes rather from Proto-Slavic *kyjь (“stick, club, hammer”) (compare to Ukrainian кий (kyj)), in that case meaning a settlement palisaded by poles. See also Киевъ (Kievŭ).

• IPA^(key): [ˈkɪjiu̯]

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Ки́їв • (Kýjiv) m inan (genitive Ки́єва, uncountable, relational 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

• Rudnyc'kyj, Ja. (1972–1982) “Ки́їв”, in An Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language, volumes 2 (Д – Ь), Ottawa: Ukrainian Mohylo-Mazepian Academy of Sciences; Ukrainian Language Association, →LCCN, 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 [Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language] (in Ukrainian), volumes 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