Bosniak
/ˈbɒz.ni.æk/noun
A person from Bosnia, especially a Bosnian Muslim.
Did you know?The term Bosniak is a modern ethnonym formed from Bosnia, and while its own history is political and national rather than occult, it preserves one of the Balkans’ oldest geographic names.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient/Pre-Roman
Pre-Slavic
*Bъsъna / *Bosona
“An early, pre-Slavic river or place name, probably referring to the Bosna River”
Early Middle Ages
Latin
Bosna
“The name of the Bosna River and surrounding territory in written sources”
Medieval Slavic
Slavic
Bošnjanin / Bošnjak
“An inhabitant of Bosnia”
19th–20th Century
South Slavic
Bošnjak
“A Bosnian person; later especially a Bosnian Muslim ethnonational identity”
Modern English
English
Bosniak
“A person from Bosnia, especially a Bosnian Muslim”