Kyiv
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of Kyiv
First recorded in 1805–10 with spelling Kiev; the spelling Kyiv was first recorded in 1950–55; Kiev from Russian Kíev, Kyiv from Ukrainian Kýiv, both from Old East Slavic Kyevŭ; of uncertain origin. Traditional (folk) etymology derives the name from Kyi, one of the legendary founders of the city; another etymology suggests that the name of the city was Sarmatian (Iranian) Kiovi Kii “heights, mountains,” and that its inhabitants, a Sarmatian tribe, were called Kivi “mountaineers”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In 2024, Russian hackers commandeered residential webcams in Kyiv, including one installed by a condominium association to monitor the neighborhood.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
AFP reporters heard booms over Kyiv earlier in the day.
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026
It is awkward, at the very least, for the governments in both Berlin and Kyiv.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
For other Kyiv residents, the solution lies closer to home: in the vast open spaces of Ukraine's countryside.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
The Miami meeting follows visits to Moscow and Kyiv last month by Witkoff, a longtime Trump confidant, and Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, as Washington seeks to revive negotiations that have yielded little progress.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
