Kievan

American  

[kee-ef-uhn, -ev-uhn] / ˈki ɛf ən, -ɛv ən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Kyiv.

2. of or relating to the period in Russian history (11th and 12th centuries) when Kyiv was the political center of a loose federation of states.

   Kievan Russia.

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noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Kyiv.

Etymology

Origin of Kievan

First recorded in 1925–30; Kyiv + -an

Example Sentences

That’s when Vladimir I, the ruler of Kievan Rus’, which included parts of current-day Ukraine and Russia, converted to Eastern Orthodox Christianity.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2022

Kievan Rus fell afterward to the early 13th century Mongol invasions of Europe.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 21, 2022

Ukraine and Russia share roots stretching back to the first Slavic state, Kievan Rus, a Medieval empire founded by Vikings in the 9th century.

From New York Times • Feb. 21, 2022

On another, I learned of the existence of St Volodymyr, whose Christianisation of Kievan Rus is commemorated by a statue in Holland Park.

From The Guardian • Aug. 21, 2018

“I don’t entirely believe there is one. I mean...the tsar’s spent years and years hunting down all the magical creatures in Kievan Rus’ and either killing them or driving them out.

From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack