Kiev

[ kee-ef, -ev; Russian kyee-yif ]

/ ˈki ɛf, -ɛv; Russian ˈkyi yɪf /

noun

a city in and the capital of Ukraine, on the Dnieper River.

Definition for kiev (2 of 2)

Ukraine

[ yoo-kreyn, -krahyn, yoo-kreyn ]

/ yuˈkreɪn, -ˈkraɪn, ˈyu kreɪn /

noun

a republic in SE Europe: rich agricultural and industrial region. 223,090 sq. mi. (603,700 sq. km). Capital: Kiev.

Russian Ukraina. Formerly Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for kiev

On Oct. 7, I bought my ticket to Kiev 45 minutes before my flight.
Russians Plot Exiled Government in Kiev|Anna Nemtsova|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Before the Maidan revolution, Russian political refugees living in Kiev were worried about their safety.
Russians Plot Exiled Government in Kiev|Anna Nemtsova|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Russian leader suggested Kiev is breaking a “moral obligation.”
Eastern Ukraine Braces for ‘Full-Scale War’|Jamie Dettmer|November 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To try to counter the Russian military build-up, Kiev has redeployed more forces eastward.
Putin Is Lying on Ukraine—and the West Can’t Stop Him|Jamie Dettmer|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST

One commander has threatened a military coup if Kiev concedes anything to the separatists.
Putin Is Lying on Ukraine—and the West Can’t Stop Him|Jamie Dettmer|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Dowager Empress came to Kiev to-day to visit a convent that she has under her protection.
Trapped in 'Black Russia'|Ruth Pierce
My Baruch was three years old then and she married during the Pogrom in Kiev.
Crimes of Charity|Konrad Bercovici
Early in the Revolution of 1917 he was accused of serving the secret police at Kiev.
Bolshevism|John Spargo
The revision was carried out between 1653-7, and a migration of Kiev scholars to Moscow came about at the same time.
An Outline of Russian Literature|Maurice Baring
Pan Tchedesky himself was formerly an enormously wealthy landowner near Kiev.
Trapped in 'Black Russia'|Ruth Pierce

British Dictionary definitions for kiev (1 of 2)

Kiev

/ (ˈkiːɛf, Russian ˈkijɪf) /

noun

the capital of Ukraine, on the Dnieper River: formed the first Russian state by the late 9th century; university (1834). Pop: 2 623 000 (2005 est)

British Dictionary definitions for kiev (2 of 2)

Ukraine

/ (juːˈkreɪn) /

noun

a republic in SE Europe, on the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov: ruled by the Khazars (7th–9th centuries), by Ruik princes with the Mongol conquest in the 13th century, then by Lithuania, by Poland, and by Russia; one of the four original republics that formed the Soviet Union in 1922; unilaterally declared independence in 1990, which was recognized in 1991. Consists chiefly of lowlands; economy based on rich agriculture and mineral resources and on the major heavy industries of the Donets Basin. Official language: Ukrainian; Russian is also widely spoken. Religion: believers are mainly Christian. Currency: hryvna. Capital: Kiev. Pop: 44 573 205 (2013 est). Area: 603 700 sq km (231 990 sq miles)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for kiev (1 of 2)

Kiev

Ukrainian Kyyiv, of unknown origin; explanation from the name of a founding prince named Kiy probably is folk etymology. Related: Kievan.

Word Origin and History for kiev (1 of 2)

Ukraine

from Russian Ukraina, literally "border, frontier," from u- "at" + krai "edge."

Culture definitions for kiev (1 of 2)

Kiev

[ (kee-ef, kee-ev) ]

Capital of Ukraine in the north-central region of the country on the Dnieper River; a major manufacturing and transportation center.

Culture definitions for kiev (2 of 2)

Ukraine

[ (yooh-krayn, yooh-krayn) ]

Republic in southeastern Europe, bordered by Belarus to the north; Russia to the northeast and east; the Black Sea to the south; Moldova, Romania, and Hungary to the southwest; and Slovakia and Poland to the west; includes the peninsula of Crimea. Kiev is the capital and largest city.

Note

Of the former Soviet republics, it is second to Russia in population.

Note

Ukraine came under a succession of invaders and foreign rulers, including central Asian tribes, the Mongols, Lithuania, the Ottoman Empire, Poland, and finally Russia. Under oppressive Polish and Russian rule in the seventeenth century, Ukrainian fugitives, known as Cossacks, organized resistance movements.

Note

A nationalist and cultural revival in the nineteenth century was rewarded after World War I by independence, which was, however, short-lived. Invaded by Russian troops, Ukraine became one of the original Soviet republics in 1922.

Note

Ukraine was traditionally home to a large Jewish population. Many Jews (see also Jews) left Ukraine under oppressive conditions in the nineteenth century, and thousands more were exterminated by the Nazis in World War II.