Name of Ukraine

The name "Ukraine" (Ukrainian:Україна Ukrayina [ukrɑˈjinɑ]) literally means "on the border", "near the border", or "around the border". It was first used used to define part of the territory of Kievan Rus' in the 12th century. "U" meaning "within" and "kraij" meaning "border". The name has been used in a variety of ways since the twelfth century. Today, it is the official name of Ukraine, the country in Eastern Europe. Traditional use in Russian utilizes prepositions "on" or "off": for example, "I am on/off Ukraine" as opposed to "I am in/from Ukraine". This distinction arises from the name historically referring to a region rather than a defined territory or country. In English, the equivalent traditional use is "the Ukraine" (with the definite article appended before the name), but this usage is nowadays less common and officially deprecated by the Ukrainian government and many English language media publications.