Save Type Other Usage Ukrainian Scripts Чорнобиль(Ukrainian) Pronounced Pron. /t͡ʃɔr.ˈnɔ.belʲ/ [key·simplify] Other Forms FormsChornobyl Meaning & History Chornobyl' is the name of a power plant that had a meltdown in 1986 as well as a Ukrainian village, meaning "black" from Ukrainian чорний (chornyy). The English form is Chernobyl.