Slavic

American  

[slah-vik, slav-ik] / ˈslɑ vɪk, ˈslæv ɪk /

noun

1. a branch of the Indo-European family of languages, usually divided into East Slavic (Russian, Ukrainian, Byelorussian), West Slavic (Polish, Czech, Slovak, Sorbian), and South Slavic (Old Church Slavonic, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Serbo-Croatian, Slovenian). Slav, Slav.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the Slavs or their languages.

Slavic British  

/ ˈslɑːvɪk /

noun

1. another word (esp US) for Slavonic

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• non-Slavic
  adjective
• pro-Slavic
  adjective
• anti-Slavic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of Slavic

First recorded in 1805–15; Slav + -ic

Example Sentences

Mr. Morson, a professor of Slavic languages and literatures at Northwestern University, is the author of “Wonder Confronts Certainty: Russian Writers on the Timeless Questions and Why Their Answers Matter.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 15, 2025

Prof Heather wants to use it to investigate what he describes as one of European history's biggest mysteries: why central and eastern Europe changed from being Germanic speaking to Slavic speaking, 1,500 years ago.

From BBC • Jan. 1, 2025

Baker: When I was looking for a name, I literally looked at names from the Slavic region.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 12, 2024

Speaking in English with a Slavic accent, “Olesya” offers a first-person account of how she and her colleagues initially worked in support of President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine.

From New York Times • May 15, 2024

For example, Russia, once a small Slavic state centered on Moscow, did not even begin its expansion beyond the Ural Mountains until A.D.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond