Kiev

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

noun

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

Ukraine

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

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

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
The Russian leader suggested Kiev is breaking a “moral obligation.”
Eastern Ukraine Braces for ‘Full-Scale War’
Jamie Dettmer
November 17, 2014
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
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

Historical Examples of kiev

They were evidently bound for Kiev on a holy pilgrimage to the Lavra.
Trapped in 'Black Russia'
Ruth Pierce
She has been like one out of her mind since they have been so near Kiev.
Trapped in 'Black Russia'
Ruth Pierce
How strange it will be to have no longer a Russian army between the Germans and Kiev.
Trapped in 'Black Russia'
Ruth Pierce
The Czar has arrived in Kiev for a conference at Headquarters.
Trapped in 'Black Russia'
Ruth Pierce
From Kiev, under the very eyes of the Russian troops in the town.
Kosciuszko
Monica Mary Gardner

British Dictionary definitions for kiev

Kiev

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)

Ukraine

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

Kiev

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

Ukraine

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

kiev in Culture

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.

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.