князь

• kniaź — Łacinka (Belarusian Latin alphabet)

From Proto-Slavic *kъnędzь.

Doublet of ксёндз (ksjondz), a borrowing from Polish.

• IPA^(key): [knʲasʲ]

• Audio:

  (file)

князь • (knjazʹ) m pers (genitive кня́зя, nominative plural князі́, genitive plural князёў, female equivalent княгі́ня, relational adjective кня́жацкі or кня́жы or кня́скі or кня́жыцкі, diminutive князёк)

1. prince; duke

• “князь” in Belarusian–Russian dictionaries and Belarusian dictionaries at slounik.org

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *kъnędzь, borrowed from Germanic, from Proto-Germanic *kuningaz. The feminine form княги́ня (knjagínja, “princess”) has preserved the original, Germanic g sound.

Doublet of ксёндз (ksjondz), a borrowing from Polish, and ко́нунг (kónung).

• IPA^(key): [knʲæsʲ]

• Audio:

  (file)

князь • (knjazʹ) m anim (genitive кня́зя, nominative plural князья́ or кня́зи^*, genitive plural князе́й, feminine княги́ня, relational adjective кня́жеский or кня́жий, diminutive князёк) (* uncommon)

1. prince; duke
   • 1969 [1917], Владимир Ленин [Vladimir Lenin], “Благодарность князю Г. Е. Львову”, in В. И. Ленин – Полное собрание сочинений, volume 34, page 20; English translation from “Our Thanks to Prince G. Y. Lvov”, in V. I. Lenin – Collected Works, volume 25, translation of original in Russian, 1974, page 195:

     В отличие от болтунов мелкой буржуазии, эсеров и меньшевиков, пролетариат будет твёрдо знать, в чем состоит на деле «прорыв на фронте» классовой борьбы, обезврежение врага, обезврежение эксплуататоров. Князь Львов помог пролетариату познать эту истину. Поблагодарим князя Львова.

     V otličije ot boltunov melkoj buržuazii, eserov i menʹševikov, proletariat budet tvjórdo znatʹ, v čem sostoit na dele «proryv na fronte» klassovoj borʹby, obezvreženije vraga, obezvreženije ekspluatatorov. Knjazʹ Lʹvov pomog proletariatu poznatʹ etu istinu. Poblagodarim knjazja Lʹvova.

     Unlike the petty-bourgeois—Socialist-Revolutionary and Menshevik—windbags, the proletariat will know very well what is actually meant by a “breach in the front” of the class struggle and by making the enemy, the exploiters, harmless. Prince Lvov has helped the workers realise this truth. Thank you, Prince Lvov.

• In medieval Russia, the term князь (knjazʹ) denoted the ruler of a principality. In the Russian Empire, it was a high noble title which could be inherited or bestowed by the tsar, and was automatically granted to some members of the imperial family. The term is also used to translate some foreign noble titles, e.g. the German Fürst, the Italian principe, and the Georgian თავადი (tavadi) and ერისთავი (eristavi).
• There is a special translative form in the saying из гря́зи в кня́зи (iz grjázi v knjázi, “from rags to riches”).

Phrases

• вели́кий кня́зь m anim (velíkij knjázʹ)
• из гря́зи в кня́зи (iz grjázi v knjázi)

• → Azerbaijani: knyaz
• → Kazakh: кінәз (kınäz)
• → Turkmen: knýaz
• → Polish: kniaź
• → Yakut: кинээс (kinees)

• принц m anim (princ)

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “князь”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Shansky, N. M., editor (1982), “князь”, in Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), volume 2, number 8 (К), Moscow: Moscow University Press, page 175
• Krylov, G. A. (2004) “князь”, in Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Saint Petersburg: Victory, →ISBN
• Tsyhanenko, H. P. (1989) “князь”, in Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), 2nd edition, Kyiv: Radjanska shkola, →ISBN, page 180

• Dal, Vladimir (1880–1882) “князь”, in Толковый Словарь живаго великорускаго языка [Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language] (in Russian), 2nd edition, Publication of the bookseller-typographer Wolf, M. O.

Inherited from Middle Ukrainian князь m (knjazʹ, “a prince”), кнѧ́зь m (knjázʹ), from Old East Slavic [Term?], from Proto-Slavic *kъ̏nędzь m (“a prince”). Doublet of ксьондз (ksʹondz) and кінг (kinh).

• IPA^(key): [knʲazʲ]

• Audio:

  (file)

князь • (knjazʹ) m pers (genitive кня́зя, nominative plural кня́зі, genitive plural кня́зів, female equivalent княги́ня, relational adjective князі́вський or кня́жий or кня́зів or князьки́й, diminutive кня́зик)

1. the monarch of a state or a principality: prince, king, duke
2. a royal title: prince, duke, etc.
3. groom, bridegroom

• In medieval Ukraine (Kyivan Rus and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania), the term князь (knjazʹ) knyaz denoted the ruler of a state, later also of a principality. The ruler of a great state or an autonomous great principality was also called великий князь (grand duke) to distinguish him from the other dukes.

• князі́вство n (knjazívstvo)

• Shyrokov, V. A., editor (2010–2025), “князь”, in Словник української мови: у 20 т. [Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language: in 20 vols] (in Ukrainian), volumes 1–15 (а – п'ять), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka; Ukrainian Lingua-Information Fund, →ISBN