entry
cyrillic
/sɪˈrɪlɪk/Relating to the Cyrillic writing system
From Greek Cyril (Lordly).
Word Ancestry
Behind this alphabet’s name stands Cyril, the ninth-century Byzantine missionary better known as Saint Cyril, who worked with his brother Methodius among Slavic-speaking peoples. The surprising part is that Cyril probably did not create the Cyrillic alphabet in its final form; the system was developed by their followers, especially in the cultural centers of the First Bulgarian Empire. His Greek name, Kýrillos, carried the grand sense of “lordly,” from the same Greek family of words as kýrios, “lord” or “master.” By the tenth century, Cyrillic writing had become a durable bridge between Byzantine Christianity and Slavic languages, eventually traveling from Bulgaria across Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia, and beyond. So every time you read a Cyrillic letter, you are looking at a script whose name remembers one missionary—but whose real construction was a team effort.
The Story
Behind this alphabet’s name stands Cyril, the ninth-century Byzantine missionary better known as Saint Cyril, who worked with his brother Methodius among Slavic-speaking peoples. The surprising part is that Cyril probably did not create the Cyrillic alphabet in its final form; the system was developed by their followers, especially in the cultural centers of the First Bulgarian Empire. His Greek name, Kýrillos, carried the grand sense of “lordly,” from the same Greek family of words as kýrios, “lord” or “master.” By the tenth century, Cyrillic writing had become a durable bridge between Byzantine Christianity and Slavic languages, eventually traveling from Bulgaria across Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia, and beyond. So every time you read a Cyrillic letter, you are looking at a script whose name remembers one missionary—but whose real construction was a team effort.
Kin & Kindred
From 'Cyril'·Lordly; associated with Cyril
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Urban Dictionary
Wikipedia