On Latin and Slavic cognates

There are hundreds of Latin words present in all European languages, and many can be traced back to the era when Roman legions paved the way for the civilization we know today. However, this article focuses on a much older vocabulary, examining why many “Indo-European” words are shared between Latin and Slavic languages.

The Slavic examples are primarily based on Serbian, though most of these words are common across all Slavic languages. Some examples from Russian and Bulgarian are included where they no longer exist in modern Serbian. 

(Note: This is not a definitive list, and I will continue updating it over time.)

A few basic terms

Nature

• Mare (Latin: sea) – More (Slavic: sea)
• Igneus (Latin: fire) – Oganj (Slavic: fire)
• Uligo (Latin: humidity) – Vlaga (Slavic: humidity)
• Nebula (Latin: cloud/sky) – Nebo (Slavic: cloud/sky)
• Granum (Latin: grain) – Zrno (Slavic: grain)

• Polis (Latin: city) – Polje (Slavic: field): 

This is where it gets really interesting. In Latin “Polis” means “city”, but in Slavic “polje” refers to a “field”.  A notable example is Constantinople, known in Slavic as “Konstantinopolj.” However, the Roman goddess of pastures, “Pales,” does not seem to align with the Latin meaning of “city” (polis), but it makes much more sense when viewed through the Slavic meaning of “field” (polje).

Animals:

• Mus (Latin: mouse) – Mish (Slavic: mouse)
• Agnis (Latin: lamb) – Jagnje (Slavic: lamb)
• Ovis (Latin: sheep) – Ovca (Slavic: sheep)
• Caballus (Latin: horse) – Kobila (Slavic: horse)
• Musca (Latin: fly) – Musica (Slavic: fly)
• Cuculus (Latin: cuckoo) – Kukavica (Slavic: cuckoo)

Body parts:

• Oculus (Latin: eye) – Oko (Slavic: eye)
• Pollex (Latin: thumb) – Palac (Slavic: thumb)
• Cruor (Latin: blood) – Krv (Slavic: blood)
• Os (Latin: mouth) – Usta (Slavic: mouth)
• Ped (Latin: foot/feet) – Peta (Slavic: foot)

Household:

• Domus (Latin: home) – Dom (Slavic: home)
• Oleum (Latin: oil) – Ulje (Slavic: oil)
• Cupa (Latin: cup) – Ćup (Slavic: cup)
• Urceus (Latin: jug) – Vrc (Slavic: jug)
• Sucus (Latin: juice/resin) – Sok (Slavic: juice)
• Securis (Latin: axe) – Sekira (Slavic: axe)
• Vino (Latin: wine) – Vino (Slavic: wine)
• Cadus (Latin: bottle/jar) – Kada (Slavic: tub)
• Lampas (Latin: lamp) – Lampa (Slavic: lamp)
• Medius (Latin: middle) – Medju/Medja (Slavic: in between/middle)

Verbs:

• Arrare (Latin: to plow) – Orati (Slavic: to plow)
• Molo (Latin: to grind) – Mleti (Slavic: to grind)
• Sto (Latin: to stand) – Stojati (Slavic: to stand)
• Sedeo (Latin: to sit) – Sedeti (Slavic: to sit)
• Video (Latin: to see) – Videti (Slavic: to see)
• Itio (Latin: to go) – Ići (Slavic: to go)
• Seccare (Latin: to cut) – Seći (Slavic: to cut)
• Proseco (Latin: to cut off) – Preseći (Slavic: to cut off)
• Poto (Latin: to drink) – Piti (Slavic: to drink)
• *Fugio (Latin: to flee) – Begati (Slavic: to flee, from Indo-European bheg)
• Vivir (Latin: to live) – Živ (Slavic: to live)

Interestingly, the sound “Ž” is typical for Slavic languages, though it has survived in French and Portuguese as well. Latin lacked this sound, which became “V,” but it is likely that the Slavic pronunciation is older.

Adjectives:

• Laevus (Latin: left) – Levi (Slavic: left)
• Castus (Latin: pure) – Čist (Slavic: pure)
• Plenus (Latin: full) – Plin (Slavic: full, from Old Church Slavonic пльнь)
• Curtus (Latin: short) – Kratak (Slavic: short)

Miscellaneous Terms

There are several other terms that reveal linguistic similarities:

• Prae (Latin: before) – Pre (Slavic: before)
• Prod (Latin: in front) – Pred (Slavic: in front)
• Providus (Latin: providence) – Proviđenje (Slavic: providence)
• Castitas (Latin: moral purity) – Čestitost (Slavic: moral purity)
• Voluntas (Latin: will) – Volja (Slavic: will)
• Diabolos (Latin: devil) – Đavo (Slavic: devil)
• Corona (Latin: crown) – Kruna (Slavic: crown)

Pronouns and Grammar

Some pronouns and grammatical structures are shared between Latin and Slavic:

• Tu (Latin: you) – Ti (Slavic: you)
• Tibi (Latin: to you) – Tebi (Slavic: to you)
• Suus (Latin: one’s own) – Svoj (Slavic: one’s own)

The verbs for “to be” are especially interesting:

• Sum (Latin: I am) – Sam (Slavic: I am)
• Est (Latin: it is) – Jeste (Slavic: it is)

The Slavic form is more complex, with “sam” being a shortened form of “jesam” (I am). This suggests that Slavs did not borrow this word from Latin.

• Lux (Latin: light) – Luč (Slavic: light)
• Nox (Latin: night) – Noć (Slavic: night)

The letter “X” in Latin comes from the Greek “Chi,” which was presumably pronounced as “Kh,” which closely resembles the Slavic “Ch.” This connection is evident in words like “Luč” for light and “Noć” for night.

Additionally, the Slavic word “Luč” refers to a type of wood drenched in resin, ideal for starting fires.

The connection here lies in the meaning of light and a resin that is easy to ignite, showing an interesting parallell that exists only in Slavic languages.

Note that this type of parallel does not exist in Latin. The word resin has the same root as English – resina. But there is another Latin word – lac. The official etymology is on an image below.

Swords: Mach and Gladius

• Mach (Latin: sword) – Mač (Slavic: sword)
• Gladius (Latin: sword) – Gladak (Slavic: smooth, radiant)

The Latin word “machaera” comes from the Greek Makhaira (μάχαιρα), which itself comes from the word mákhē, meaning “battle”. However, the Slavic word for sword is “mač“. Once again, we see that the Greek letter chi (X) corresponds to Slavic “ch” sound, just like in the example above with LUX and NOX.

Also, it could be that the English word “match” (as in football match) also comes from the Greek mákhē – battle. Official etymologies do not mention this theory, but if I am correct, it is just another proof that the Greek chi corresponds to sound “ch” and not “kh” as the scolars claim.

The Latin word gladius, referring to a type of sword, may have a conceptual connection to the Old Church Slavonic word gladak (гладкь), which means “shining,” “radiant,” or “smooth.” Swords, particularly those well-crafted like the gladius, were often polished to a sleek, glossy finish, making them reflective and radiant in appearance.

Strigilis – Strugati (to scrape)

The Latin strigilis, a tool used in Ancient Greek and Roman cultures to scrape dirt, sweat, and oil from the body, has a clear connection to the Slavic verb strugati (to scrape). The Latin word originates from a pre-Greek substrate, indicating an ancient shared cultural practice of using scraping tools for cleansing.

Caminus – Kamen (Stone hearth)

The Latin word Caminus, comes from the ancient Greek “kámīnos“. According to Wiktionary, the suffix “-ῑνος” is pre-Greek and the etymology is unknown. The only suggested connection is with Slavic kamen – stone, as the ancient hearths were made of stone.

Libum – Hleb

Libum is an ancient Roman sacrificial bread, often made with flour and cheese, used in religious offerings and ceremonies.

The striking similarity between the Latin libum and the Slavic hleb suggests a deep linguistic connection that predates Roman influence. Considering the early Slavic homeland was situated in fertile regions where agriculture, including wheat cultivation and bread-making, thrived, it is implausible to argue that the Slavs borrowed this fundamental term from the Romans. 

Similarly, the Italian word pizza, borrowed from Greek πίτα (pita) of unkown origin, has direct cognates only in Slavic pita – pie, with further origins in Sanskrit piccaTa – a type of flat-pressed cake.

Masculin – Muskarac (Male)

This two words are obviously related and belong to the same Indo-European corpus. However, we don’t really see this connection in etymological dictionaries. And still, apart from the rhotacism of the L-R sounds in the second silable, these words are virtually the same. Also, we may see this root in the name of the Iron age people from Anatolia, known as Mushki. (men) They in turn, have been identified as Phrygians, people whose roots were in the Balkans.

Justice – Jьstina

The Slavic word pravda, meaning “justice” or “truth,” originates from the Proto-Slavic root pràvz, which translates to “right, straight, or correct.” This highlights a deep cultural connection between the concepts of truth and righteousness in Slavic languages.

Similarly, the term jьstina, meaning “truth,” comes from the Proto-Slavic root jbst, meaning “same” or “identical,” suggesting that truth is seen as something constant and unchanging.

The word justice in English comes from Old French justise, derived from the Latin iustitia, which means “righteousness” or “equity.”

Humilis / Humus – Zemlya (Earth) and Homo – Zemljak (Human)

The words “humility” and “humiliation” come from the Latin “humilis“, which itself is derived from “humus” – “earth”. Modern scholars derive the word “humus” from the reconstructed PIE word *dʰéǵʰōm – “earth”, ignoring the fact that the Slavic word “Zemlya” is much closer. S and Z sounds were often replaced by the softer H, for example, “Sindu” – “Hindu”.

The idea behind this is that the humble (or humiliated) person is “down to earth”.

Moreover, the word “zemelos” existed in the Phrygian language, a language much older than Latin. It meant “human”, and scholars relate it to the same root – “humus”, earth. For this reason, the Phrygian earth-goddess was Semele, whose name also meant (mother) “Earth”.

The connection between the words “human” and “earth” (earthling) is very interesting, as it reminds us of the etymology of the name of the Biblical Adam.

Even in standard Arabic, a Semitic language, the root Z-M-L meant “modest, humble” and many Arabic names are derived from it. For example Zameel, Zamil, Zemeel, etc.

As the Phrygians were people who originated in the Balkans, but then migrated to Turkey and the Middle East, we can assume that the root of this word comes from their language. Interestingly, the only real cognate lies in the modern Slavic languages.

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