Sevastopol

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A major port city on the southwestern coast of the Crimean Peninsula, home to a large naval base on the Black Sea
2. A seaport in Crimea on the Black Sea that serves as the main base of a naval fleet and lies in the south of the peninsula
3. The Crimean coastal city on the Black Sea known for its harbor, its historic naval importance and its strategic location

Etymology: Sevastopol is a port city on the Crimean peninsula, and its name is a Greek compound that was given to it in the eighteenth century. The Greek "sebastos" meant "august" or "venerable," a title associated with the Roman emperor Augustus, and "polis" meant "city." Together they formed "Sebastopolis," a name that could be applied to any city honoring an august ruler. The name reached modern Russian and Ukrainian as "Sevastopol," and it is probably a tribute to Empress Catherine II of Russia, who had annexed Crimea and wanted a naval base there. The Greek label thus connected the new Russian settlement to a classical tradition of imperial honor, with "august" standing in for the empress herself.