I. ˈkremlə̇n noun
( -s )
Etymology: earlier cremelena, cremelina, probably modification of obsolete German kremelin, modification of Russian kreml'
1. : the citadel or fortress of a Russian city or town
the ensembles of the fortified monasteries and kremlins — Arthur Voyce
2. usually capitalized
[from the Kremlin, citadel of Moscow now serving as the governing center of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics]
a. : a governing center or executive stronghold usually regarded as secretive and impenetrable
there are many Kremlins outside Russia, whose secrets, too, are guarded — Irwin Edman
some of the permanent secretaries and undersecretaries live in an invisible Kremlin — Economist
b. : the supreme governing oligarchy of Soviet Russia
on both sides of the Iron Curtain the battle between Kremlin and Vatican continues — C.L.Sulzberger
II. adjective
Usage: usually capitalized
: of or relating to the Kremlin especially as symbolizing the central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or its policies
Kremlin leaders