Kotlin
/KOT-lin/ · noun · Development · Origin: 2011
Definitions
A modern, statically typed programming language that runs on the JVM and is fully interoperable with Java. Google designated Kotlin as the preferred language for Android development in 2019, and its concise syntax, null safety, and coroutine support have driven rapid adoption.
In plain English: A newer programming language for Android apps and server software that fixes many of Java's annoyances.
Example: Since we switched to Kotlin, our Android codebase shrank by 30% and we've had zero NullPointerExceptions in production.
Origin Story
Named after a Russian island, following Java's island-naming tradition
JetBrains, the company behind IntelliJ IDEA, began developing Kotlin in 2010. Lead designer Andrey Breslav and his team wanted a modern JVM language that would fix Java's pain points while maintaining full interoperability.
They named it **Kotlin** after **Kotlin Island** in the Gulf of Finland, near Saint Petersburg where JetBrains' R&D center is located. The island naming was a deliberate nod to Java (also named after an island, though officially after coffee).
Kotlin's big break came at Google I/O 2017 when Google announced it as an officially supported language for Android development. By 2019, Google declared Kotlin the *preferred* language for Android. Within a few years, the majority of new Android apps were being written in Kotlin.
Coined by: JetBrains (Andrey Breslav, lead designer)
Context: JetBrains, Saint Petersburg, 2010 (released 2011)
Fun fact: Kotlin Island houses the Russian naval fortress of Kronstadt. The island has a population of about 44,000 people -- roughly the same number of stars the Kotlin GitHub repo has accumulated.