Estonian has been ranked as the world's 2nd most difficult language to learn - by whom, I can't remember. Whether it is actually true and, if so, particular to the language, or more a question of language group, I do not know (all other things being equal, an Asian will find French harder to learn than a Spaniard, for example). What I have found, tackling my first non-Indo-European language, is that its vocabulary, even basic, has no stickies (remembering the German "Milch" for "milk" is easier than the Estonian "Piim"; ditto French "crème" for "cream", than "koor"). Everything must be learned laboriously by rote, and I ain't a spring chicken no more.
As an exercise, I decided to find out what Tallinn street names mean. Here it is, but please take note: this is a work in progress and the present version is certainly packed to the gills with errors. Any comments and corrections welcome. Please send to simon :: at :: simonhamilton.com
Back to the language. Wikipedia describes Estonian as a "transitional form from an agglutinating language to an inflected language", an opinion most of us would find hard to argue with. For non-specialists, you tack on endings to give meaning to the word. In English, you may say "into the garden", "through the garden" or "I like the garden", garden remains the same; in Estonian... Well, look at the following table:
| Nominative | aed | garden |
| Genitive | aia | garden's, of the garden |
| Partitive | aeda | e.g. hoeing the garden |
| Illative | aiasse or aeda | into the garden |
| Inessive | aias | in the garden |
| Elative | aiast | from, out of the garden |
| Allative | aiale | to the garden |
| Adessive | aial | upon, on the garden |
| Ablative | aialt | from, off the garden |
| Translative | aiaks | for, as the garden |
| Essive | aiana | as the garden |
| Terminative | aiani | up to, until the garden |
| Abessive | aiata | without the garden |
| Comitative | aiaga | with the garden |
... and yes, there are a multitude of exceptions, long forms, short forms, and 14 more cases in the plural. Those who went through the agonies of Latin will remember its five dastardly declensions, or basic noun types (rosa, rosa, rosam... res, rei, rem...). Estonian has almost 600. It is also reputed to have eight dialects (Northern: Central, Eastern, Western and Island; Southern: Tartu, Mulgi, Võru and Seto), and no-one has yet finalised a standard spelling reform. Do you really want to know 126 ways of writing "aquarium"?
The list is in two parts:
Since once you've gathered that Kiriku tänav means "church street" it will add little to the depths of your knowledge to discover that Kiriku tee means "church road".
A typical street name will be of the "street of X" type, and so the word will be in the genitive case. Next to it, in brackets, I put the nominative form. Sometimes one genitive will correspond to two or more different words. If the reason for such a name is not very clear, I include the other versions too. And if the name is already in the nominative, I put an "0". For example, the compound word garden-path, Aiatee, is already nominative, if it were two words as it is in Aia it would have its corresponding case.
Aas: Meadow, pasture
Allee: Avenue, alley, parkway, lane, walk, path
Haljak: Green, grassplot
Jalg: Foot (of hill, mountain, but see, e.g. Mäealuse)
Järv: Lake
Kael: Passageway. Lit. neck
Käik: Passage, alley, gang
Lõik: Cut, passage
Maantee: Road, highroad, highway
Ots: End
Passaaž: Mall, arcade, gallery
Plats: Square
Puiestee: Avenue, boulevard
Põik: Short for põiktänav, minor road crossing another
Tee: Road, lane, track
Tiik: Pond
Torn: Tower
Trepp: Steps or staircase
Turg: Market
: Street
: Lit. Street without an exit: One-way street, cul-de-sac, dead end (street)
Vaateplats: Viewing-point, belvedere
Väljak: Place, square, also court (tennis), course (golf)
Värav: Gate, gateway
Geographically located somewhere in the middle of Scandiavians, Russians and South American Indians, the Estonians have their own particular notion of alphabetical order (see below). Bracketed letters are only used in foreign proper names or quoted words, and letters in grey are used to indicate pronunciation of foreign words. As to W, Villem Väravad's software does not even separate it from V, hence the muddle towards the end. Here it is...
To return to the alphabetical key, click on any headword.
1. Liin (1. Liin): 1st line.
2. Liin (2. Liin): 2nd line.
3. Liin (3. Liin): 3rd line.
4. Liin (4. Liin): 4th line.
5. Liin (5. Liin): 5th line.
Aasa (Aas): Meadow.
Aate (Aade): Idea.
Aaviku (Aaviku): Town in various Estonian "counties", including Tallinn's Harjumaa. Possibly with loss of initial H, meaning alder grove. Aaviku is also, incidentally, the genitive of Johannes Aavik (1880-1973), Estonian linguist and inventor of numerous reforms and neologisms.
Abaja (Abajas): Cove, creek, inlet, bight, pool or quagmire.
Abara (Abar): Three-part net for catching small fish.
Adamsoni A. (Amandus Heinrich Adamson, 1855-1929): Sculptor, studied under Carpeaux in Paris, creator of the Russalka monument, using his 17-year-old girlfriend as model.
Adra (Ader): Plough.
Aedlinn (0): Garden city, garden suburb.
Aedvere (Aedvere): Aed means garden, but the -vere suffix occurring in at least 89 place-names (as well as hidden/embedded in others) deserves an entry of its own (but won't get it). Estonian linguists have been discussing its meaning for about a hundred years and are still not certain. Various suggestions have been made for its derivation: Gothic: fera and OHG: fiara (region, area); Finnish: verho (covering), vero (verosta in place of), vuori, vaara (hill); Estonian: vare (ruin), veri (blood), pere (farm, family, household), -kõrve (forest), veer: veere (brink, border, edge, slope), *vēri (deciduous forest; note for non-linguists, the asterisk indicates a hypothetical form), *veere: *veerde (?),*veri: *veren (wood, woody hill). Not easy. An interesting angle comes from the taxation list compiled for Danish King Valdemar II in 1220-1241, Liber Census Daniae: the settlement name "Serueueræ", for example, looks very much like a Latinised name. Given the LCD was written in Latin and "probably based on the notes of Danish priests" (www.estonica.org), we have two weak links (Danish clerks hearing Estonian names and their re-transcription into possibly faulty dog Latin). Perhaps the "ueræ" suffix is the result of fortuitous convergence between (conceiving) a Latin suffix -ver < vergo, -ěre, meaning to be turned towards, to incline or lean, and veere meaning about the same, where the two weak links may have prevented hearing a less obvious "Estonian" genitive. Either way, Estonian linguist Valdek Pall concludes that "the spreading of the -vere-names was connected with slash-and-burn agriculture", and Marja Kallasmaa also proposes the hypothesis that both veer: veere and *veere: *veerde were slash-and-burn terms. To conclude, with no certainty, my personal suggestion is that, since swiddeners were unlikely to build homes on top of the swidden, but nearby, -vere may possibly have meant "by, beside, or bordering around a swidden". Ten years down the road, it will be interesting to see how embarassingly wrong I may be…
Aedvilja (Aedvili): Fruit and vegetables.
Aegna (Aegna): Island off the coast of Tallinn.
Ahingu (Ahing): Fishing-spear.
Ahju (Ahi): Stove or oven.
Ahtri (Ahter): Stern, poop.
Ahvena (Ahven): Perch, Perca fluviatilis.
Aia (Aed): Garden, fence, enclosure, run.
Aiandi (Aiand): Market garden.
Aianduse (Aiandus): Gardening, horticulture.
Aiaotsa (Aiaots): The end of the garden (Top/Tip of the fence?).
Aiatee (Aiatee): Garden path.
Aida (Ait): Outbuilding, storehouse, granary.
Aisa (Ais): Shaft (of draught vehicle), thill.
Akadeemia (Akadeemia): Academy.
Alajaama (Alajaam): Electrical substation.
Alasi (Alasi): Anvil.
Alemaa (Alemaa): Assart, grubbed land, forest-clearing, swidden.
Alevi (Alev): Small market-town, "borough", "second-degree urban settlement".
Algi (Alk): Auk, razorbill.
Alle A. (August Alle, 1890-1952): Son of a stone-mason, studied medicine and law. Poet, columnist and publicist. Editor of the Estonian literary journal Looming (Creation) from 1948.
Allika (Allikas): Spring, source, fountain, wellspring, fountainhead.
Alliksoo (Alliksoo): Proper name, literallly source of a bog.
Altmetsa (Altmets): Low-lying part of a wood, dell.
Alvari (Alvar): 1) Limestone region covered with thin soil and stunted vegetation; 2) Man's first name.
Amarülluse (Amarüllus): Amaryllis.
Amburi (Ambur): Archer, bowman, Sagittarius.
Andrekse (?): Possibly after Andreas, 15th-C master-builder supervising rebuilding of St Olaf's church.
Angerja (Angerjas): Eel.
Angerpisti (Angerpist): Dropwort.
Ankru (Ankur): Anchor.
Anni (And): Gift, present, talent, endowment.
Ao (Agu): Early dawn, daybreak.
Apteegi (Apteek): Chemist's, pharmacy, apothecary's.
Arbu (Arp): Lot, magic contrivance.
Armatuuri (Armatuur): Fixture, (light-)fitting, framework, mounting accessories.
Arnika (Arnika): Arnica.
Artelli (Artell): Artel, workers' guild.
Aru (Aru): 1) Dry upland meadow or grassland; 2 Reason, mind, intellect, understanding, wits), or Aru (Arro) manor house (gen/spec?).
Arukaskede (Arukask): Silver or lowland birches (pl.).
Aruküla (Aruküla): Hamlet in Harjumaa, with manor house and giant erratic boulder. Lit. Upland meadow village, shieling.
Asalea (Asalea): Azalea.
Asfaldi (Asfalt): Asphalt.
Assauwe torn ():
Asso õu ():
Astangu (Astang): Terrace, cliff, escarpment, bluff.
Astilbe (Astilbe): A variety of saxifrage, sometimes known as spirea.
Astla (Astel): Barbed spear, thorn, spine, sting.
Astri (Aster): Aster.
Asula (Asula): Dwelling, settlement, urban community, any populated place.
Asunduse (Asundus): Settlement, colony.
Auli (Aul): Long-tailed duck, Clangula hyemalis.
Auna (Aun): Shock or stack of sheaves or peat.
Auru (Aur): Steam, vapour - "Auru ära laskma": to let off steam.
Auto (Auto): Car, automobile, motorcar.
Begoonia (Begoonia): Begonia.
Bensiini (Bensiin): Petrol, gas, gasoline.
Betooni (Betoon): Concrete.
Bornhöhe E. (Eduard Bornhöhe, 1862-1923): Real name Eduard Brunberg, writer of bestselling historical adventure stories and translator of Robinson Crusoe into Estonian. His novel Viimne reliikvia (The Last Relic, 1969) was made into what is now a cult film or bane of Christmas viewing according to viewpoint.
Bremeni (Bremen): Bremen, former Hanseatic town in Germany.
Brookus (Brookus): Latinised name of 14th-C city father Wolmar Brockhusen.
Börsi (Börs): Exchange, stock exchange.
Dominiiklaste (Dominiiklased (sing. Dominiklane)): Dominican friars.
Dunkri (0): Possibly from Dunker, old Germanic name for someone who lived near a swamp, possibly….
Edela (Edel): South-west, south-western, south-westerly.
Edu (Edu): Success, progress, advancement.
Eerikneeme (Eerikneem): Eric's Cape (point, headland, foreland) on Aegna island, location of one of Estonia's occasional stone labyrinths built by Swedish settlers during the early medieval ages.
Eevardi (Eevard): Man's first name.
Eha (Eha): Red sunset sky or glow.
Ehitajate (Ehitaja): Builders, constructors, shipwrights (pl.).
Ehituse (Ehitus): Building, construction.
Ehte (Ehe): Adornment, ornament, piece of jewellery.
Elektri (Elekter): Electricity.
Elektroni (Elektron): Electron.
Endla (Endla): Name of a lake, bog, basin, region and nature reserve in central Estonia, home to the white-tailed eagle, golden eagle and osprey. The lake is home also to Juta, the Maid of Järve, a Muse-like fairy capable of evoking the past.
Enela (Enelas): Spirea, meadowsweet.
Energia (Energia): Energy.
Eppingi Torn (0): Epping, wealthy burgher of Tallinn, tower chief, date uncertain.
Erika (Erika): Woman's first name.
Esku (Esku): Village in central Estonia.
Estonia (Estonia): Known previously as Peters-Promenade (Peter's Promenade), Vene turu promenaad (Russian-Market Promenade), Promenaad (Promenade), Der Ring/Ringstraße (Ring Road, part of, along with Mere pst and others but don't ask which), Gogoli puiestee (Gogol Avenue), Karjavärava puiestee (Cattle gate avenue), Vabaduse puiestee (Freedom/Independence avenue), Viruvärava puiestee (Viru gate avenue).
Faehlmanni F.R. (Friedrich Robert Faehlmann, 1798-1850): Founder of the "Learned Estonian Society" and originator of the Kalevipoeg idea, converting a rather malevolent giant of Estonian folklore into a king.
Falgi (Falk):
Filmi (Film): Film, cinema, movies.
Filtri (Filter): Filter.
Forelli (Forell): Trout.
Gerbera (Gerbera): Gerbera, ornamental plants of the sunflower family, fifth cut flower in the world.
Gildi (Gild): Guild.
Glehni N.v. (Count Nikolai von Glehn, 1841-1923): Founder of the then town, now Tallinn suburb, of Nõmme.
Gonsiori (Jakob Johann Gonsior, or Jacob Johan von Gonsior (?-1887/8?)): 19th-C Tallinn alderman and lawyer, orphanage founder and funder.
Graniidi (Graniit): Granite.
Grusbeke Tagune Torn (): Behind Grusbeke's tower, Grusbeke being a wealthy burgher of Tallinn.
Gümnaasiumi (Gümnaasium): Secondary school, high school.
Haabersti (0): Manor house close to Tallinn, originally named Habers, or Habris/Habres, from the German Hafer, oats.
Haava (Haab): The harilik haab is Populus tremula, the aspen; other varieties include hõbe haab, Populus alba, the white poplar or abele; and hall haab, Populus canescens canescens, the grey poplar.
Haaviku (Haavik): Aspen grove.
Hagudi (Hagudi (Haggud)): Birthplace of Adam Johann Ritter von (knight of) Krusenstern, Baltic German admiral and explorer leading the first Russian circumnavigation around the globe in 1803-1806.
Haigru (Haigur): Heron, egret.
Haldja (Haldjas): Guardian, fairy, spirit, elf, pixie.
Haljas (Haljas): Green, verdant, open.
Halla (Hall): Hoarfrost.
Halli (Hall): 1) Grey: "Ootasin nii et halliks läksin", I waited so long I went grey; 2) Grey horse; 3) Covered market.
Hallikivi (Hallikivi): Grey stone.
Hallivanamehe (Hallivanamees): Literally "grey old man". Two possibilities paraphrased from Kivi: 1) There used to be a very sharp curve here resulting in numerous accidents. Given the abstemious nature of Estonian drivers, any mishap had to be due to Ülemiste Vanake leaping into the middle of the road (but then again he was a liquid spirit); 2) The curve, then street, where a grey-bearded old codger used to live until his house was demolished. To which I add the possibility of a mutation from hallivatimees or hallivammusemees), meaning soldier (grey-coat), or wolf (grey-coated chap).
Halu (Halg): Billet, piece of firewood.
Hane (Hani): Goose (also figurative, simpleton, pigeon).
Hange (Hang): Snowdrift, bank of snow.
Hansu (Possibly Käsu Hans, ? - 1715/1734): One of the earlier poets in the Estonian vernacular, author of the lament Oh! ma waene Tardo liin (Oh Tartu! Poor City of Mine) in 1708.
Hao (Hagu): Stick, twig, small branch used for firewood, brushwood.
Haraka (Harakas): Magpie.
Hargi (Hark): Fork, pitchfork, prong.
Hariduse (Haridus): Education, training, schooling.
Harju (0): Of or corresponding to Harjumaa (county, inhabitants...) in northern Estonia.
Harjumägi (0): Harju hill.
Harjuorg (0): Harju valley.
Harjuväräva (Harjuväräv): Harju gate.
Harksaba (Harksaba): Kite (bird).
Harku (0): Small town SW of Tallinn.
Harusambla (Harusammal?): Not traced. Possibly a misreading or misprint of karusambla, or maybe an unrecorded name for one of the broom mosses, Dicranum spp., whose stems fork (haru = branch, fork, prong).
Hauka (Haugas): Hawk (bird).
Havi (Haug): Pike (fish).
Heina (Hein): Hay.
Heinamaa (Heinamaa): Hayfield, grassland, meadow.
Heki (Hekk): 1) Hedge; 2) Fence; 3) Bullfinch or; 4) Stern (of boat).
Helbe (Helves): Flake.
Hellemanni Torn ():
Helme (Helmes): Bead.
Helmiku (Helmik): Melick, grass of the fescue family.
Herilase (Herilane): Wasp.
Hermanni K.A. (Karl August Hermann, 1851-1909): Composer, linguist, journalist and important musical character during Estonia's period of awakening (1850-1918).
Herne (Hernes): Pea.
Hiidtamme (Hiidtamm): Giant oak.
Hiie (Hiis): Grove, sacred grove.
Hiiela (?): Place of the sacred grove.
Hiiu (0): Of or from Hiiumaa. Hiiu is also the genitive of hiid, giant, but any references to "Giantland" are due to popular etymology (i.e. completely wrong); it is more reasonably suggested that the name comes from its sacred groves, see Hiie.
Hiiu-Maleva (Hiiu-Malev): Giant army, great host.
Hiiu-Suurtüki (Hiiu-Suurtükk): Giant cannon.
Hinke torn (0): Said to be named after a 14th-C stable-boy, Hindrik.
Hirve (Hirv): Deer, stag, hart.
Hobujaama (Hobu(se)(posti)jaam): Stage, posting-stage.
Hoburaua (Hobu(se)raud): Horseshoe.
Hobusepea (Hobusepea): Horse's head.
Hommiku (Hommik): Morning.
Hoo (Hoog): Momentum, impetus, swing, bout, attack, seizure, dash, verve... - "hiigla hooga", quite a nice way of saying "impetuously".
Hooldekodu (Hooldekodu): Nursing-home.
Hospidali (Hospidal): Hospital, infirmary.
Hospitali (Hospital): Hospital, infirmary (alternative spelling).
Humala (Humal): Hop, hop-plant.
Hundipea (Hundipea): Wolf's head.
Hunditubaka (Hunditubakas): Hawkweed, lit. Wolf's tobacco.
Hõbeda (Hõbe): Silver.
Hõbekuuse (Hõbekuusk): Silver spruce.
Hõberebase (Hõberebane): Silver fox.
Hõimu (Hõim): Kin, relative, tribe, clan.
Hälli (Häll): Cradle, cot.
Hämar (Hämar): Dusky, crepuscular, nebulous, vague, shadowy.
Hämariku (Hämarik): Dusk, nightfall, the personification of dusk.
Härgmäe (0): Ergeme in northern Latvia, site of a battle where Ivan the Terrible's army decisively defeated the Livonian Order on 2nd August 1560, leading eventually to its dissolution.
Härjapea (Härjapea): Ox-head, name of river that used to flow through Tallinn from Ülemiste Lake, converted into sewage canal in 1937.
Härma M. (Miina Härma (Hermann), 1864-1941): Music teacher, organist, prolific composer (over 200 choral songs, 10 cavatinas, a canto, "Kalev and Linda" and more), choral and orchestral conductor. Received initial musical education from Hermann (no relation).
Härmatise (Härmatis): Frost, hoarfrost, rime.
Hüübi (Hüüp): Bittern Ixobrychus or Botaurus spp.
Ida (Ida): East, eastern, easterly.
Idakaare (Idakaar): East, eastern point on the horizon.
Iirise (Iiris): Iris.
Ilmarise (Ilmarine): Mythological gentleman: god of fire, weather (ilm = weather) and smithing. However, this raises an interesting point. The genitive of ilm is ilma and this is associated more with earth, the world: ilmale tooma means to give birth, to bring into the world; ilmaelu means life, existence. Given the importance of the genitive in declining Estonian words, perhaps this tense was the original word or name. Apart from Tallinn and other conglomerations (Pelgulinn) ending in -linn, all towns in Estonia are named using the genitive, and this makes sense. The descriptor is of something, the word is not the object itself.
Ilo (0): 1) Name of literary magazine published in the 1920s; 2) Person's first name; 3) Alternative spelling of ilu, beauty.
Ilvese (Ilves): Lynx, wildcat.
Imanta (Imanta): Name of Estonian choral society founded in Riga, 1880.
Inseneri (Insener): Engineer.
Instituudi (Instituut): Institute.
Invaliidi (Invaliid): Invalid, cripple, disabled serviceman.
Iru (Iru): 1) Hill some 8 km east of modern-day Talllin; 2) Rocky pillar on Iru Hill itselt into which Linda, Kalevipoeg's mother, having been abducted and possibly raped by a Finnish sorcerer, was turned (a boulder, known variously as the Old Woman of Iru, or Iru’s Stepmother, was broken up and used in building a Russian military airfield during WWI); 3) Site of a pre-Bronze age (±3000 BP) Corded-ware settlement in the Tallinn area.
Irusilla (Irusild): Iru bridge.
Islandi (Island): Iceland.
Iva (Iva): Grain, corn, morsel - "Ma ei ole täna iva hamba alla saanud": I haven't had a bite to eat all day.
Jaagu (Jaak): Proper name: James.
Jaama (Jaam): Station, depot, terminus.
Jaaniku (Jaanik): St. John's Eve, Midsummer Eve bonfire and festivities (23rd June).
Jaanilille (Jaanilill): Bird's-eye primrose, Primula farinosa (alternative name for Pääsusilm.
Jahe (Jahe): Cool, chilly, parky.
Jahimehe (Jahimees): Hunter, huntsman, gunner.
Jahu (Jahu): Flour, meal.
Jakobi (0): Suggested as named (in 1882) after local house-owner/landlord and retired soldier Mart Jakob.
Jakobsoni C.R. (Carl Robert Jakobson, 1841-1882): Writer and teacher. One of the important persons in Estonian national awakening. Depicted on the 500-crown banknotes where, interestingly, his beard seems to improve with each printing.
Jalaka (Jalakas): Elm.
Jannseni J.V. (Johann Voldemar Jannsen, 1819-1890): Father of Lydia Koidula, publisher of first Estonian newspaper, Postimees (Postman), conductor and chairman of the Vanemuine male choir, and co-organiser (with Jakobson) of the first Estonian Song Festival in Tartu, June 18-20 1869.
Jasmiini (Jasmiin): Jasmine.
Joa (Juga): Waterfall, cascade.
Joone (Joon): Line, stripe.
Jugapuu (Jugapuu): Yew, yew tree.
Juhkentali (Juhkental): Corruption of Joachimsthal (Joachim's valley, Estonian Joaorg), a secondary manor house on the Joala estate.
Juhtme (Juhe): Lead, wire, conductor.
Jumika (Jumikas): Knapweed, centaury.
Juurdeveo (Juurdevedu): Conveyance, transport, supply.
Jõe (Jõgi): River.
Jõekalda (Jõekallas): Riverbank, riverside.
Jõeküla (Jõeküla): River village, riverside village.
Jõeoti (Jõeott): River bear.
Jõhvika (Jõhvikas): Cranberry, mossberry.
Järve (Järve): Lake.
Järvekalda (Järvekallas): Lakeside.
Järveotsa (Järveots): Lake's end.
Järvevana (0): Old man of the lake, another nickname for Ülemiste Vanake, a mythological character living in lake Ülemiste.
Jääraku (Jäärak): Ravine.
Kaali (Kaal(ikas)): Swede, turnip, rape, rutabaga.
Kaare (Kaar): Arc, curve, bow, bend, swath, compass point.
Kaarla (Kaarel): Cloudberry, or bakeapple, Rubus chamaemorus, aka rabamurakas.
Kaarlepere (0): Charles family farm, family, household.
Kaarli (Kaarli): Personal name: Charles.
Kaarna (Kaaren): Raven.
Kaasiku (Kaasik): 1) Birch wood, birch forest, birch grove; 2) Singer of old folk songs at weddings (archaic).
Kabli (Kabli): Hoe, mattock.
Kadaka (Kadakas): Juniper.
Kadri (Kadri): Kate, "Katie" - "Kadriks käima" (to go "Katieing"), when "kadrisants" dress up in light-coloured women's clothes (both men and women) and go from door to door asking gifts (of food, wool, etc.) in exchange for songs and good wishes on St Catherine's day, Nov. 24th. The cult of St Catherine (martyred on the famous wheel), supposedly of 4th-C Alexandria (no evidence she even existed), started in the 9th C and was banned by the Holy See in 1969.
Kadrioru (Kadriorg): Catherine's valley, after the lady who began life as Martha Skavronskaya, 1683/84(?)-1727, daughter of a Lithuanian peasant, adopted by Glück, the Lutheran pastor who translated the Bible into Latvian, was pressed into becoming laundress to the Russian army, became mistress first to Prince Menshikov then to Peter the Great whom she later married, becoming Catherine I, Empress and Autocrat of all the Russias (no relation to Catherine the Great).
Kaera (Kaer): Oat.
Kaeravälja (Kaeraväli): Oatfield.
Kaevu (Kaev): Well - "Vanasse kaevu ei või sülitada enne kui veel uut valmis ei ole": don't spit in your old well until your new one's dug.
Kaevuri (Kaevur): Miner, digger.
Kagu (Kagu): South-east, south-eastern, south-easterly.
Kaheküla (Kaheküla): Double village.
Kahlu (Kahl): Tuft, bunch, truss.
Kahu (Kahk): Slight rustle, whisper.
Kahva (Kahv): 1) Landing-net, net for catching fish or crayfish; 2) Handle, haft; 3) Pale, pallid.
Kai (Kai): Quay, wharf.
Kailu (Kail): Ledum, march tea.
Kaisla (Kaisel): Bulrush.
Kaitse (Kaitse): Protection, defence.
Kaja (Kaja): Echo.
Kajaka (Kajakas): Gull, seagull, mew.
Kakumäe (Kakumägi): Loaf or bannock hill, owl hill.
Kaladi (Kaladi): Slat of wood used in net-making.
Kalamaja (Kalamaja): Fisherman's hut.
Kalamehe (Kalamees): Fisherman, angler.
Kalaranna (Kalarand): Fishing-beach.
Kalasadama (Kalasadam): Fish harbour, fish port.
Kalavälja (Kalaväli): Fishfield? Perhaps a place where fish were laid out to dry.
Kalda (Kallas): Shore, bank, riverside, etc.
Kalevala (Kalevala): Finnish epic compiled by Elias Lönnrot in the 19th century, sharing several features with (or lending to) Estonia's Kalevipoeg. The "Kalev" part of the name (lit. "fishing") seems clearly related to the proto Finno-Ugric *kala, fish (
Kalevi (Kalev): Estonia's epic hero of uncertain identity, the same name being used to describe the man and his son. Kalev stories pre-date the separation of Finns and Estonians. Possibly also an early name of Tallinn: the Eastern Slavs knew it as Kolyvan, and 12th-C Arab cartographer Al Idrisi (أبو عبد الله محمد الإدريسي), descendent of Muhammed, included a town called Qlwny.
Kalevipoja (Kalevipoeg): Title and eponymous hero of Kreutzwald's (see Kreutzwaldi) mammoth poem, said by many to trigger the sense of (Romantic) nationalism in Estonia, by others vice versa.
Kalju (Kalju): Rock, boulder.
Kallaku (Kallak): Incline, slope, rake.
Kallaste (Kallad (pl.)): Shores, banks, riversides, etc.
Kalmistu (Kalmistu): Cemetery, graveyard, burual ground, churchyard.
Kalmuse (Kalmus): Calamus, sweet flag, Acorus calamus.
Kaluri (Kalur): Fisherman.
Kammelja (Kammeljas): Not the "camellias" I was expecting: turbot. Beware when buying flowers. (They're "kameelia" BTW.).
Kanali (Kanal): Canal, watercourse, duct.
Kanarbiku (Kanarbik): Heather, heath, brier.
Kandle (Kannel): Estonian zither, with strings of horsehair (usu. 4) or metal (usu. 7). Exquisite to listen to.
Kanepi (Kanep): Hemp.
Kangru (Kangur): 1) Weaver; 2) Heap of granite.
Kannikese (Kannikene): Violet, pansy.
Kannustiiva (Kannustiib): White letter hairstreak, Strymonidia w-album, or black hairstreak butterfly, Strymonidia pruni.
Kantsi (Kants): Citadel, stronghold, bulwark, tower.
Kanuti (Kanut): Canute, Knut, named after the St Canute's Guild.
Kapi A. (Artur Kapp, 1878-1952): Composer and organ virtuoso, born in Suure-Jaani (Big John's), one-time director of the Astrakhan Music School and leader of the Estonian Academic Society of Music Artists.
Kappeli J. (Johannes Kappel, 1855-1907): Composer, studied at St-Petersburg Conservatory and remained in Russia.
Kari (Kari): Reef, rocky islet, shelf.
Karja (Kari): Cattle (also flock, pack, troop, crowd).
Karjamaa (Karjamaa): Pasture, grazing-land.
Karjavärava (Karjavärav): Cattle gate (in the sense of passage into a city, not the former Nordic sense of "way", "street", such as Fisher gate or Carter gate in Nottingham, etc.).
Karnapi (?): Area in the southern rim of Aegna island, bordering Karnepi kõrgendik, or Karnep Heights.
Karu (Karu): Bear.
Karukella (Karukell): Small pasqueflower.
Karusambla (Karusammal): Hair cap moss, Polytrichum spp..
Karuse (Karune): Hairy, shaggy.
Karusmarja (Karusmari): Gooseberry.
Karuvildiku (Karuvildik): Not quite sure here: felt boot made from bear fur? Possibly a regional variant of a moss.
Kase (Kask): Birch, birch-tree.
Kasemäe (Kasemägi): Birch hill, birch knoll.
Kaskede (Kased (pl.)): Birches, birch-trees.
Kassi (Kass): Cat.
Kassikäpa (Kassikäpp): Catsfoot, cat's-ear, Antennaria spp..
Kassisaba (Kassisaba): Cat's tail, spiked speedwell (name, too, of a late-19th-C slum).
Kastani (Kastan): Chestnut.
Kaste (Kaste): Dew, sauce.
Kasteheina (Kastehein): Bent (type of grass).
Kastevarre (Kastevars): Hair grass.
Kastiku (Kastik): Small reed, vaulting-box.
Kasvu (Kasv): Growth, increase, height, stature.
Katariina (Katariina): Catherine.
Katleri ():
Katoliku (Katolik): Catholic.
Katusepapi (Katusepapp): Roofing felt, tar paper.
Kauba (Kaup): Goods, wares, merchandise.
Kaubamaja (Kaubamaja): Department store.
Kauge (Kauge): Far, far off, distant, remote.
Kauka (Kaugas): Shirt pocket, pouch.
Kauna (Kaun): Pod, hull, legume.
Kaunis (Kaunis): Beautiful, lovely, pretty.
Kaupmehe (Kaupmees): Merchant, trader.
Kauri (Kaur): Loon (although there's at least one village in Estonia called Kauri after the man's name Kaur).
Keava (Keava): Hamlet in Raplamaa.
Kedriku (Kedrik): Bombyx, the silk-worm.
Keemia (Keemia): Chemistry.
Keeru (Keerd): Lay, turn, coil.
Keevise (Keevis): Weld.
Keldrimäe (Keldrimägi): Hill of the cellar, of the vault???.
Kelluka (Kellukas): Bellflower, harebell, bluebell.
Kelmiküla (Kelmiküla): Rogue's village, scampstown (a slum in the late 19th-C).
Kentmanni (Wilhelm Eugen Leonhard Kentmann ???, 1861-1938): Baltic-German theologian, OR Kentmann ???, author of Geograahwia kaardid koolilaste geograahwia-raamatu lisaks (Maps for a geography textbook, 1884). The street was also known for a short period (1939-1940) as K. Pätsi [after independent Estonia's first president] and, for a day or so in 1942, as H. Göringi.
Kerese P. (Paul Keres, 1916-1975): Estonian Chess-Master, for some, "the Paganini of chess", for Spassky the "Pope of chess", for others, a face on a 5-kroon note.
Kesk-Ameerika (Kesk-Ameerika): Central America.
Kesk-Kalamaja (Kesk-Kalamaja): Mid-fisherman's hut.
Keskküla (Keskküla): Mid-village, name of ruined manor house in Läänemaa county.
Kesklinn (0): Town centre.
Kesk-Luha (Kesk-Luha): Mid-waterside meadow.
Kesk-Sõjamäe (Kesk-Sõjamägi): Central military vantage point.
Kesktee (Kesktee): Middle road, happy medium.
Keskuse (Keskus): Centre.
Kessi (Kess): Net bag (bag for putting nets in), backpack, pouch, wallet or basket made from birch bark or bast.
Ketraja (Ketraja): Spinner.
Ketta (Ketas): Disk, discus, puck.
Kevade (Kevad): Spring (season).
Kibuvitsa (Kibuvits): Dog rose.
Kiek in de Kök (0): Look (or "peep", if you really want) in the kitchen, from Low Saxon "kijk in de keuken". The most likely explanation is that its uncommon height of 38 m set it so far above the neighbouring houses' chimneys that the guards could, theoretically, see straight down into the kitchens; alternatively the height let them see what the enemy was cooking, since their kitchens would be furthest from the front. Take yer pick.
Kihnu (Kihnu): Island about 10 km off the coast of Pärnu, western Estonia: pop.: ±560, 16.4 km².
Kiige (Kiik): Swing, now an Estonian sport, kiiking, where the participant must swing across the top bar. Having killed at least 3 children in the past 800 years, Europe has deemed Estonia's traditional swings unsafe, and therefore illegal. Cars, on the other hand….
Kiini (Kiin): Gadfly, botfly; chopping-knife, billhook.
Kiire (Kiire): Quick, fast, swift, nimble, urgent….
Kiisa (Kiisk): Ruff (fish).
Kiive (Kiive): Alternative or dialectal name for lapwing, or plover.
Kilbi (Kilp): Shield, badge.
Kilde (): ???.
Killustiku (Killustik): Rubble, breakstone, cheed, crushed aggregate, chippings.
Kilu (Kilu): Baltic sprat, brisling.
Kinga (King): Shoe.
Kirde (Kirre): North-east, north-easterly.
Kiriku (Kirik): Church.
Kirilase (Kirilane): Almost certainly a shortened form of kasekirilane the Kentish Glory moth, Endromis versicolora. If not, then poss. A neologism for a typesetter, writer, font-worker. Poss. another name for ladybird, lepatriinu, aka kirilind,. Poss. short for "kiriöölane", beautiful yellow underwing moth, or small dark yellow underwing moth. Poss. also "k" omitted from "kiriklane", churchman.
Kirsi (Kirss): Cherry.
Kitsas (Kitsas): Narrow, close, tight.
Kitseaed (Kitseaed): Goat garden.
Kitseküla (Kitseküla): Goat's village, goatsville (a slum in the late 19th-C).
Kitzbergi A. (August Kitzberg, 1855-1927): Author and playwright.
Kiuru (Kiur): Pipit.
Kivi (Kivi): Stone, rock, boulder (one of the oldest words common to Finno-Ugric languages, cf.: kivi (Finnish, Karelian & Veps), кӱ Mari, кев (kev) Mordvin, kő - more apparent in the accusative case: kővet (Hungarian), and geađgi (Northern Sami).
Kiviaia (Kiviaed): Stone wall (around garden, house, field).
Kivila (0): Place of stone; uncertain too: kiviküla, stone village, was a slightly pejorative way of saying town.
Kivimurru (Kivimurd): Quarry (lit. "of broken stone").
Kivimäe (Kivimägi): Stone mountain.
Kiviranna (Kivirand): Stone waterfront.
Kiviriku (Kivirik): Saxifrage.
Kivisilla (Kivisild): Stone bridge, once a suburb of Tallinn (now, roughly, the Tornimäe, Maakri, Tartu mnt, Rävala… area).
Klaasi (Klaas): Glass.
Klooga (0): Manor house in Keila, Harjumaa.
Kloostri (Klooster): Abbey, cloister, monastery, convent.
Kloostrimetsa (Kloostrimets): Abbey woods.
Klubi (Klubi): Club.
Kodu (Kodu): Home, hearth, dwelling.
Kohila (0): Manor house in Hager, Harjumaa.
Kohtu (Kohus): Law court, tribunal.
Kohtuotsa vaateplats (0): Viewing platform at the end of Kohtu street.
Koidiku (Koidik): Dawn, daybreak.
Koidu (Koit): Dawn, aurora.
Koidula L. (Lydia Koidula, 1843-1886): Lydia of the Dawn, sobriquet of Lydia Emilie Florentine Jannsen, Estonian kirjaneitsi (maiden of letters), poet and journalist. By tradition, every All-Estonian Song Festival since 1869 closes with her Mu Isamaa on Minu Arm (My Fatherland is My Love).
Kolde (Kolle): Hearth, fireplace, grate.
Koldrohu (Koldrohi): Common kidney vetch, lady's finger.
Kollane (Kollane): Yellow.
Komandandi (Komandant): Commandant.
Komeedi (Komeet): Comet.
Kompassi (Kompass): Compass.
Koogu (Kook): Hook, bucket pole (for drawing water from wells).
Kooli (Kool): School.
Koorti J. (Jaan Koort , 1883-1935): Jugendstil sculptor, painter and ceramicist.
Kopli (Koppel): Enclosure, paddock, run.
Kopliranna (Koplirand): Kopli beach.
Koralli (Korall): Coral.
Korgi (Kork): Cork, plug, stopper.
Kose (Kosk): Waterfall, rapids.
Kosemetsa (Kosemets): Woods by the (or with) rapids.
Koskla (Koskel): Merganser.
Kotka (Kotkas): Eagle.
Kotkapoja (Kotkapoeg): Eaglet.
Kotlepi (): Possibly Johann Kotlep, retainer at the manor house where Kreutzwald’s parents worked and from whom he is reputed to have first heard Kalevipoeg stories (see Kreutzwaldi)???.
Kotzebue (Otto von Kotzebue, 1787-1846): Baltic German born in Tallinn, completed three circumnavigations of the globe in Russian service. The north Alaskan town of Kotzebue (known as Qikiqtagruk, or "place shaped like a long island", in Inupiaq) was named after him.
Kraavi (Kraav): Ditch, trench, fosse.
Kreegi (Kreek): Bullace, wild damson.
Kressi (Kress): Cress.
Kreutzwaldi F.R. (Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald, 1803-1882): Shoemaker's son, doctor and Estonian national poet, compiler of the Kalevipoeg, Estonia's epic poem about the Son of Kalev, giant hero of the past, and vehicle for the National Awakening after 600 years of serfdom. Once known as Romanov Prospect.
Kristeni ():
Kristiina (Kristiina): Proper name: Christina.
Kristiine (0): After Queen Christina of Sweden, 1626-1689.
Kruusa (Kruus): Gravel, shingle, ballast.
Kruusaranna (Kruusarand): Shingle beach.
Kuberneri (Kuberner): Governor.
Kubu (Koo): Bundle, truss, faggot.
Kudu (Kudu): Spawn (konnakudu = frogspawn).
Kuhja (Kuhi): Heap, pile, stack.
Kuhlbarsi F. (Friedrich Kuhlbars, 1841-1924): Schoolteacher and author of lyrics to Eestimaa, mu isamaa (Estonia, my fatherland), the Estonian Scouts' anthem.
Kuiv (Kuiv): Dry - "Kuival olema": to be on the rocks.
Kuke (Kukk): Cock, rooster.
Kuldjalatorn (0): Golden leg/foot tower. Estonians do not distinguish feet from legs, or hands from arms, rather confusing at times.
Kuldnoka (Kuldnokk): Starling.
Kuldtiiva (Kuldtiib): Scarce Copper, Large Copper or Small Copper butterfly.
Kuljuse (Kuljus): Sleigh-bell.
Kullassepa (Kullassepp): Goldsmith, jeweller.
Kullerkupu (Kullerkupp): Globeflower.
Kullese (Kulles): Tadpole or, believe it or not, bluish grey cow.
Kulli (Kull): Harrier (hawk).
Kumalase (Kumalane): Bumblebee [also Kimalane].
Kume (Kume): Hollow, dull, glimmering (go figure...).
Kummeli (Kummel): Camomile.
Kunderi J. (Juhan Kunder, 1852-1888): Writer known mainly for fairy tales, e.g. Eesti Muinasjutud (Estonian Fairytales).
Kungla (0): A sort of pseudomythological Estonian Arcady that found its way into 19th-C Estonian writers' minds and books.
Kuninga (Kuningas): King.
Kupra (Kupar): Boll, capsule (on plant).
Kura (Kura): Uncertain: Village on the coast of S Estonia (possibly related to Courland some 100 km south); bay about 48 km ENE of Tallinn, bay on N coast of Hiiumaa; the Lithuanian bay known locally as Left, or, of interest only to a very bizarre minority of people who need to get out more often, a river in Georgia whose name Kura is derived from Kurosh, the Persian pronunciation of Cyrus the Great. And maybe not….
Kure (Kurg): Crane (bird).
Kurekannuse (Kurekannus): Possibly crane's spur (a plant?)? Both Kurg and Annus are personal names.
Kuremarja (Kuremari): Cranberry, fenberry.
Kurepõllu (Kurepõld): Crane's field.
Kurereha (Kurereha): Geranium, crane's bill.
Kurikneeme (Kurikneem): Kurik's Cape (point, headland, foreland) on Aegna island.
Kuristiku (Kuristik): Gorge, gulch, gully, ravine, precipice.
Kurmu (Kurm): Corner, nook, out-of-the-way place.
Kurni (Kurn): Game involving 6 wooden pins to be knocked down by a cudgel, the pin itself. Russian game of Gorodki.
Kuru (Kuru): Gullet, pass, corner, nook, narrow passageway.
Kuslapuu (Kuslapuu): Honeysuckle, woodbine.
Kuuli (Kuul): Bullet, shot.
Kuunari (Kuunari): Schooner.
Kuuse (Kuusk): Spruce.
Kuusekese (Kuusekene): Little spruce.
Kuusenõmme (Kuusenõmme): Spruce marsh or moor.
Kuusiku (Kuusik): Spruce wood, spruce grove.
Kvartsi (Kvarts): Quartz, silex.
Kõdra (Kõder): Hull, pod.
Kõivu (Kõiv): Birch (dialectical).
Kõla (Kõla): 1) Sound, tone, ring, resonance; 2) Instrument used in belt-weaving.
Kõlviku (Kõlvik): Arable land.
Kõnnu (Kõnd): Wasteland, desert, desolate.
Kõrge (Kõrge): High, tall.
Kõrgepinge (Kõrgepinge): High tension, high voltage.
Kõrkja (Kõrkjas): Bulrush, clubrush, deer grass.
Kõrre (Kõrs): Stalk, straw.
Kõue (Kõu): Thunder.
Kõver (Kõver): Curved, bent, warped, devious - "Naerust kõveras olema": to double up laughing.
Käba (Käba): Piece of bark used as float on fishing-line or net.
Käbi (Käbi): Cone (e.g. pine- or other); strobila (larval stage of jellyfish). "Käbi ei kuku kännust kaugele": a chip off the old block. Note the abundance of k's, a letter occupying a special place in Estonian heart. There are, by my reckoning, some 5700 four-lettered words starting with K in Estonian. Try and remember ten….
Käbliku (Käblik): Wren (bird with the loveliest Latin name: Troglodytes troglodytes!).
Käia (Käi): Grindstone.
Kännu (Känd): Stump, stub.
Käo (Kägu): Cuckoo.
Käokannu (Käokannus): Toadflax.
Käokeele (Käokeel): Platanthera, butterfly orchid.
Käokinga (Käoking): Aconite, wolfsbane.
Käokäpa (Käokäpp): Cowslip.
Käolina (Käolina): Popular name for "Hair cap moss" see Karusammal above.
Kärberi K. (Kristjan Kärber): Builder, author of the illustrated 40-page classic Telliste kiirladumine ehitustel (speedy brick-stacking for the building trade), and worker-hero, nominated Honorary Citizen in 1972 for "recognising the special merits for Tallinn in the revolutionary movement in the struggle for the Soviet power, for gaining outstanding results in the economical and cultural work" (sic). Wow, all that.
Kärbi (Kärp): Ermine, Mustela erminea, aka stoat.
Kärestiku (Kärestik): Rapids.
Kärje (Kärg): Honeycomb.
Kärneri (Kärner): Gardener.
Käru (Käru): Barrow, pushcart.
Kätki (Kätki): Cradle.
Käänu (Kään): Turn, bend, crook.
Köie (Köis): Rope, cable.
Köismäe (Köismägi): Rope hill, named after a former suburb of the same name specialised in its manufacture.
Köleri J. (Johann Köler, 1826-1899): Painter, aka Ivan Petrovich Köler-Viliandi, worked mainly in St Petersburg. Noted for ‘Come to Me All Ye Who Labour’ (1879), a huge painting in the Tallinn Kaarli Kirik, attached to the wall by some 5000 nails.
Köömne (Köömen): Caraway, cumin.
Külaniidu (Külaniit): Village meadow.
Külavahe (Külavahe): Around the village, empty space in the village.
Külma (Külm): Cold, wintry, chilly, bleak.
Külmallika (Külmallikas): Cold spring, cold source.
Külvi (Külv): Sowing, freshly-sown field.
Künka (Küngas): Mount, small hill - "Künkakuningas", King of the castle.
Künkamaa (Künkamaa): Hilly country.
Künnapuu (Künnapuu): European white elm, fluttering elm.
Künni (Künd): Ploughing.
Küti (Kütt): Hunter, trapper.
Küüvitsa (Küüvits): Andromeda (poisonous plant).
Laagna (0): Small town close to Narva on the Russian border.
Laagri (Laager): Camp.
Laane (Laas): Primeval forest.
Laaniku (Laanik): Mountain fern moss (Hylocomium splendens).
Laboratooriumi (Laboratoorium): Laboratory.
Laeva (Laev): Ship, boat, vessel.
Laevastiku (Laevastik): Fleet, navy.
Lagedi (0): Manor house outside Tallinn first mentioned in 14th century, named derived from lage, open, clear.
Lageloo (Lagelood): Naked islet, bleak alvar.
Lagle (Lagle): Goose.
Lahe (Laht): Bay, bight, gulf, cove, inlet.
Lai (Lai): Broad, wide. In the middle ages, Lai was known as Platea (longa/sancti) monialium, loosely translated as "(holy) enclosed nuns' (long) high street".
Laiaküla (Laiaküla): Scattered village community.
Laikmaa A. (Ants Laikmaa, 1866-1942): Painter (known as Hans Laipman until 1935. Estonians have a history of chronic name-changing).
Laine (Laine): Wave, billow; woman's name.
Laki (Lakk): Lacquer, varnish; broad-brimmed hat.
Lambi (Lamp): Lamp, light, primitive lamp.
Landi (Lant): Trolling-spoon (spinning-bait for catching pike, etc.), lure, fly.
Landskronetorn (0): Crown of the land (mixture of German and Scandinavian). Poss. Derived from Landskrona, town in S Sweden.
Laose (Laos): Ruin, disintegration, decay.
Lasnamäe (0): One of the greyer neighbourhoods of Tallinn, essentially consisting of acres of workers' accommodation. Lit. "wooden shovel" or "baker's peel" hill.
Laste (Lapsed (pl.)): Children.
Lastekodu (Lastekodu): Children's home, orphanage, foundling-hospital, baby farm.
Latika (Latikas): Common, carp or bronze bream, Abramis brama.
Laugu (Lauk): Coot.
Lauka (Laugas): Bog-pool.
Lauliku (Laulik): Poet, bard, singer, songbook.
Laulu (Laul): Song, singing, ditty, ballad.
Laulupeo (Laulupidu): Song festival (one of the great events in the Estonian calendar). Try and imagine over 100,000 people all singing the same songs, usually from memory, for hours on end. In comparison, a recent survey found that the average Brit knew 4.74 words of Auld Lang Syne.
Lauri (): Perhaps Märt Laur, Estonia bass soloist; Possibly short for Lauritspäev, St Lawrence's Day (3rd-C martyr, reputed to have been roasted on a griddle, but probably just decapitated with a plain old sword).
Lauripere (Lauripere): Laur farm, family, household.
Lauteri A. (Ants Lauter, 1894-1973):