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ki·va

(kēvə)

An underground or partly underground chamber in a Pueblo village, used by the men especially for ceremonies or councils.

[Hopi kiva : ki-, probably akin to Hopi kihö, ki-, house (from Proto-Uto-Aztecan *ki, compare Cahuilla kish and Tohono O'odham ki) + -va, of unknown origin (compare Zuni kiwih- in kiwihsti, kiva, probably of Hopi or other Uto-Aztecan origin).]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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