Slovak
/ˈsloʊ.væk/noun
A person from Slovakia or the Slovak language spoken chiefly in Slovakia.
Did you know?The names Slovak and Slovenian ultimately descend from related Proto-Slavic ethnonyms built around *slovo*, meaning “word,” contrasting insiders who spoke intelligibly with outsiders who did not.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ḱlew-
“To hear; to be spoken of or renowned—a reconstructed root associated with sound, fame, and speech.”
Proto-Slavic
Proto-Slavic
*slovo
“Word, speech, or something spoken.”
Proto-Slavic
Proto-Slavic
*Slověninъ
“A Slav or Slavic person, traditionally interpreted as a person associated with speech or words.”
9th–10th Century
Old Church Slavonic
Slověni
“The Slavs; a Slavic people or community.”
14th–15th Century
Slovak
Slovák
“A Slovak man or member of the Slovak people.”
19th Century
English
Slovak
“The English ethnonym for a person from Slovakia and the name of the Slovak language.”