Kiel

K5I1E1L1

proper noun

The capital city of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.

OriginGerman Kiel ← Old Norse kill ← Proto-Germanic *kiljǭ →
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. The capital city of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.

    An international research team led by materials scientists from Kiel University (CAU) has now taken a major step toward practical applications.

    2021 November 15, “Nanomaterial 'aerographene' used to create extremely powerful pumps”, in Phys.org, archived from the original on 22 Oct 2025
  2. A city in Calumet County and Manitowoc County, Wisconsin.

Origin

  1. Proto-Germanic*kiljǭ
  2. Old Norsekill“gulf, bay”
  3. GermanKiel
  4. EnglishKiel

Borrowed from German Kiel, named after Kiel Fjord of the Baltic Sea, from Old Norse kill (“gulf, bay”), from Proto-Germanic *kiljǭ, ultimately related to the verb *kīnaną (“to crack, split”). Doublet of kill (“creek”).

More words from German, Old Norse, Proto-Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian Кил
  • Кил (Kil)city in Holstein, Germany
Danish Kiel
  • Kielcity in Holstein, Germany
Finnish Kiel
  • Kielcity in Holstein, Germany
German Kiel
  • Kielcity in Holstein, Germany
Icelandic Kíl
  • Kílcity in Holstein, Germany
Polish Kilonia
  • Kiloniacity in Holstein, Germany

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

likekile
Cite this entry
APA

Kiel. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kiel

MLA

“Kiel.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kiel. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Kiel,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kiel.

Source: Kiel on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.