Kremlin

[ krem-lin ]

noun
  1. the Kremlin,

    • the executive branch of the government of Russia or of the Soviet Union, especially in regard to its foreign affairs.

    • the citadel of Moscow, including within its walls the chief offices of the Russian and, formerly, of the Soviet government.

Origin of Kremlin

1
First recorded in 1655–65; earlier Kremelien, from German (now obsolete), from Old Russian kremlĭnŭ (unrecorded), derivative of kremlĭ “citadel” (modern Russian kremlʾ ), of disputed origin; perhaps akin to Old Russian Kromŭ, the citadel of Pskov, Ukrainian króma “partition,” Russian kromá, krómka “edge, border”; alternatively, perhaps of Turkic origin, akin to Turkish kermen “castle”

Words Nearby Kremlin

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How to use Kremlin in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for kremlin (1 of 2)

kremlin

/ (ˈkrɛmlɪn) /


noun
  1. the citadel of any Russian city

Origin of kremlin

1
C17: from obsolete German Kremelin, from Russian kreml

British Dictionary definitions for Kremlin (2 of 2)

Kremlin

/ (ˈkrɛmlɪn) /


noun
  1. the 12th-century citadel in Moscow, containing the former Imperial Palace, three Cathedrals, and the offices of the Russian government

  2. (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

Cultural definitions for Kremlin

Kremlin

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

Notes for Kremlin

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

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.