Where does “Ukraine” come from?
Ukraine comes from Polish Ukraina, of unknown ultimate origin.
Ancestry of “Ukraine”, step by step
Ukraine traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English ‐o‐
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ‐o‐ | — |
| 2 | English | -prim | Used to form names of trimethoprim derivatives acting as |
| 3 | English | trimethoprim | A synthetic antibiotic used to treat malaria and... |
| 4 | English | trimethoxy | Three methoxy groups in a molecule |
| 5 | English | methoxy | The univalent radical CH-O- derived from methanol |
| 6 | English | oxy- | Sharp, keen, acute, pungent, acid; Concerning... |
| 7 | English | oxygen | The chemical element with an atomic number of 8... |
| 8 | French | oxygène | oxygen; inflection of oxygéner: ##... |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | γένος | offspring, descendant; family, clan; nation, race |
| 10 | Proto-Hellenic | génos | family; race |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵénh₁os | race, lineage |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵenh₁- | to produce, to beget, to give birth |
via Polish Ukraina
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Polish | Ukraina | backcountry |
| 2 | Russian | Украи́на | Ukraine |
| 3 | Slavic | Оукраина | — |
| 4 | Old East Slavic | краи | edge; land, country |
| 5 | Proto-Slavic | krajь | edge, end |
| 6 | Proto-Slavic | krojiti | to cut |
| 7 | Proto-Balto-Slavic | krájīˀtei | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | kroyh₁-eye-ti | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | kroyh₁- | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | kroh₁y- | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | kreh₁y- | to sift, to separate |