Slavic

[slah-vik, slav-ik]

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.

adjective

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

Slavic

/ ˈslɑːvɪk /

noun

1. another word (esp US) for Slavonic

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of Slavic¹

First recorded in 1805–15; Slav + -ic

Example Sentences

Polish singer Justyna Steczkowska, representing her country for the second time, even includes a Slavic magic spell in her song, Gaja – summoning the spirit of the mother Earth to "cleanse" her of a toxic relationship.

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A Madonna holding an anti-tank weapon, like a Slavic Joan of Arc ready to baptize Russian invaders in holy fire.

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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.

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

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Long bound to Russia by history, common Slavic roots and a shared Orthodox Christian faith, Bulgaria was once so loyal to the Kremlin it asked to be absorbed into the Soviet Union.

Read more on New York Times