Kilbi (Kilp)

Shield, but also badge. And one for car lovers everywhere: ilukilp (beauty shield) is a hubcap. Close to Maleva and Uus-Maleva, and hence member of a mini military mêlée. See Turvise.

Kikkapuu (Kikkapuu)

Spindle tree, Euonymus spp., the common or European spindle, Euonymus europaeus, occurs in southern Estonia. Its name comes from using its hard wood for making spindles for spinning wool. (PSA: the English ‘-(d)le’ is probably a ‘frequentative’ ending used for repeated actions such as in hand leading to handle, nose to nuzzle, or sniff to sniffle. Given the shape of a spindle, and since kikk can also mean ‘erect’, I suspected it might also represent another common slang word but, no, the slang for cock or prick seems to be munn (muna also means ‘penis’ in Ludian, Khanti, Selkup and apparently Hungarian), which is quite surprising because of its similarity to muna (egg), and muna or munand (testicle), between which two meanings it hovers from one FU (sorry, not the right context for certain abbreviations) Finno-Ugric language to another. Tree/shrub group, see Kontpuu.

Kiive (Kiive)

One of the numerous alternative or dialectal names for kiivitaja, the lapwing. Other local names include hirmutaja (the ‘frightener’), kiivits, poola kana (Polish chicken), sookajak (marsh gull), tillvitt, tüvitaja and vaenulind (hostile bird). Nice reputation. Two species breed in Estonia:

• kiivitaja, northern lapwing, aka peewit, etc., Vanellus vanellus
• valgesaba-kiivitaja, white-tailed lapwing, V. leucurus

Its rather loose translations sometimes give ‘plover’ but this is a member of the not quite settled subfamily Charadriinae which includes the lapwing, dotterel and plover. According to Kivi, the street was named after the bird often seen on former city commons and should have been Kiivitaja. Why a relatively obscure dialect term was chosen is unclear. The word also translates as ‘lateral torsional buckling’. Hope that helps.