Kremlin

[krem-lin]

noun

the Kremlin,
1. the executive branch of the government of Russia or of the Soviet Union, especially in regard to its foreign affairs.
2. the citadel of Moscow, including within its walls the chief offices of the Russian and, formerly, of the Soviet government.

Origin of Kremlin

1655–65; earlier Kremelien < German (now obsolete) < an unattestested outcome of Old Russian *kremlĭnĭ, derivative of kremlĭ (Russian kremlʾ, gen kremlyá) citadel, akin to Old Russian Kromŭ the citadel of Pskov, Ukrainian króma partition, Russian kromá, krómka edge, border

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for kremlin

Contemporary Examples of kremlin

The inauguration had to be held in the fortified Kremlin, surrounded by an eerily quiet city.
Behind Bars for the Holidays: 11 Political Prisoners We Want to See Free In 2015
Movements.Org
December 25, 2014
On Tuesday, two senior Kremlin officials, Vladimir Avdeyenko and Boris Rapoport, quit their jobs.
Recession? Devaluation? Inflation? Putin Tells Russia Stay the Course.
Anna Nemtsova
December 4, 2014
Now the Kremlin will assign more loyal people to rule the region, mostly military leaders.
Recession? Devaluation? Inflation? Putin Tells Russia Stay the Course.
Anna Nemtsova
December 4, 2014
The Kremlin likes to portray these as sinister Western conspiracies.
Putin’s Health Care Disaster
Anna Nemtsova
November 30, 2014
The Kremlin is far away—almost 1,000 kilometers away, in fact.
Russia’s Freest Website Now Lives in Latvia
Anna Nemtsova
November 29, 2014

Historical Examples of kremlin

We will show you a monument made out of heads and higher than the Kremlin.
The Crimson Tide
Robert W. Chambers
I do not believe they are traitors who wanted to serve the interests of the Kremlin.
The Invisible Government
Dan Smoot
The Kremlin, hitherto out of the range of the flames, was now in danger.
Historical Tales, Vol. 6 (of 15)
Charles Morris
When the French approached the Kremlin they were saluted by a discharge of musketry.
Historical Tales, Vol. 6 (of 15)
Charles Morris
"Moscow is surpassed only by the Kremlin, and the Kremlin only by heaven," they say.
From Pole to Pole
Sven Anders Hedin

British Dictionary definitions for kremlin

kremlin

noun

the citadel of any Russian city

Word Origin for kremlin

C17: from obsolete German Kremelin, from Russian kreml

Kremlin

noun

the 12th-century citadel in Moscow, containing the former Imperial Palace, three Cathedrals, and the offices of the Russian government
(formerly) the central government of the Soviet Union

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 kremlin

Kremlin

1660s, Cremelena, from Old Russian kremlinu, later kremlin (1796), from kreml' "citadel, fortress," perhaps of Tartar origin. Originally the citadel of any Russian city, now especially the one in Moscow. Used metonymically for "government of the U.S.S.R." from 1933. The modern form of the word in English might be via French.

kremlin in Culture

Kremlin

A fortress in central Moscow that contains the central offices of the government of Russia and, formerly, the offices of the Soviet Union.

Note

The term Kremlin was also used figuratively to mean the former Soviet government.