Kievan Rus'

9.9

A state of Slavic people in Eastern Europe during the Middle Ages centered in Kiev

proper noun
/ˈkiːvən ruːs/

Literature

: Rus' de Kiev

Moscow traces its political lineage to Kievan Rus', the medieval state of the Eastern Slavic people that was centered in Ukraine.

Examples

Scholars often refer to Kievan Rus' as a foundational state for the Eastern Slavic peoples, influencing their cultural heritage.
Understanding Kievan Rus' is essential for comprehending the origins of modern Ukrainian and Russian identities.
The rise of Kievan Rus' changed the landscape of Eastern European politics in the Middle Ages.

Synonyms

Rus

vsKievan Rus'

2 9.9

A medieval state of East Slavic people with capitals at Novgorod then Kiev

is the same state but presented as predecessor to modern Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus

Surface Forms

Kievan Rus' main

Morphology

Kievan + Rus'

This is a conventional proper name for a historical polity; although 'Kievan' can be parsed as 'from Kiev' and 'Rus'' may look related to 'Rus/Russia', the specific sense 'medieval East Slavic state' is not compositionally derivable from the parts. As a conventional historical label rather than a transparent descriptive phrase, its full meaning requires cultural/historical knowledge and is therefore not predictable for a B1 learner.

Etymology

The name Kievan Rus' comes from the city Kiev and the word Rus', which one popular story says was a name for Viking leaders who came by river. That's why Kievan Rus' came to mean 'the early East Slavic state' centered on Kiev.