Kalevala

[ kah-luh-vah-luh; Finnish kah-le-vah-lah ]

/ ˌkɑ ləˈvɑ lə; Finnish ˈkɑ lɛˌvɑ lɑ /

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noun

(italics) the national epic of Finland (1835, enlarged 1849), compiled and arranged by Elias Lönnrot from popular lays of the Middle Ages.

the home or land of Kaleva; Finland.

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Origin of Kalevala

From Finnish

Words nearby Kalevala

kaleidoscopic, Kalemie, kalendar, kalends, Kaleva, Kalevala, kaleyard, kaleyard school, Kalgan, Kalgoorlie, Kālī

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Kalevala in a sentence

In the Kalevala we meet with no kings, but only patriarchs, or chiefs of clans.
Kalevala, Volume I (of 2)|Anonymous
Kuningas (king) is a Teutonic word, which rarely occurs in the Kalevala.
Kalevala, Volume I (of 2)|Anonymous
Both in subject and in metre the poem is a conscious imitation of the Finnish "Kalevala."
The World's Greatest Books -- Volume 17 -- Poetry and Drama|Various
Kulta, "golden," here rendered "dearest," is a term constantly applied in the Kalevala to anything dear or precious.
Kalevala, Volume I (of 2)|Anonymous

Weeping appears no more disgraceful to the heroes of the Kalevala than to those of the Iliad.
Kalevala, Volume I (of 2)|Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for Kalevala

Kalevala

/ (ˌkɑːləˈvɑːlə, Finnish ˈkɑlɛvɑlɑ) /

noun Finnish legend

the land of the hero Kaleva, who performed legendary exploits

the Finnish national epic in which these exploits are recounted, compiled by Elias Lönnrot from folk poetry in 1835 to 1849

Word Origin for Kalevala

Finnish, from kaleva of a hero + -la dwelling place, home

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012