English word origin

Etymology of Czech

Unadapted borrowing from Polish Czech, from Old Polish Czech, from Old Czech Čech, ultimately a variation and contraction of Proto-Slavic *čelověkъ (“human”).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗

noun

A person from the Czech Republic (Czechia) or of Czech descent.

name

A Slavic language primarily spoken in the Czech Republic. · The Czech Republic (Czechia).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Unadapted borrowing from Polish Czech, from Old Polish Czech, from Old Czech Čech, ultimately a variation and contraction of Proto-Slavic *čelověkъ (“human”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Unadapted borrowing mentionCzechpl
Derivation mentionCzechzlw-opl
Derivation mentionČechzlw-ocs
Derivation mention*čelověkъsla-pro

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "ubor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pl",
        "3": "Czech"
      },
      "expansion": "Unadapted borrowing from Polish Czech"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "zlw-opl",
        "3": "Czech"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Polish Czech"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "zlw-ocs",
        "3": "Čech"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Czech Čech"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sla-pro",
        "3": "*čelověkъ",
        "4": "",
        "5": "human"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Slavic *čelověkъ (“human”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Czech",
      "Czech#Polish"
    ],
    [
      "Czech",
      "Czech#Old_Polish"
    ],
    [
      "Čech",
      "Čech#Old_Czech"
    ],
    [
      "*čelověkъ",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/čelověkъ"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A person from the Czech Republic (Czechia) or of Czech descent."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable"
      ],
      "recordId": "b4089afe970db2445dc8650f3b4987729ee7a5ea3288b966bf8b6e5060647b2c",
      "rawRecordSha256": "1fafff9d80c8441578a8665e0e8a9629793d13336c36549ff8acbedad2e69104",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 14628
    },
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A Slavic language primarily spoken in the Czech Republic.",
        "The Czech Republic (Czechia)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable",
        "nonstandard"
      ],
      "recordId": "f987b8b972c1766222125c166dd61da22f565c91375fe29363950cf5a060f3d5",
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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}

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗

adj

Of, from, or pertaining to Czechia, the Czech people, culture, or language.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Unadapted borrowing from Polish Czech, from Old Polish Czech, from Old Czech Čech, ultimately a variation and contraction of Proto-Slavic *čelověkъ (“human”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Unadapted borrowing mentionCzechpl
Derivation mentionCzechzlw-opl
Derivation mentionČechzlw-ocs
Derivation mention*čelověkъsla-pro

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ubor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pl",
        "3": "Czech"
      },
      "expansion": "Unadapted borrowing from Polish Czech"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "zlw-opl",
        "3": "Czech"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Polish Czech"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "zlw-ocs",
        "3": "Čech"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Czech Čech"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sla-pro",
        "3": "*čelověkъ",
        "4": "",
        "5": "human"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Slavic *čelověkъ (“human”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Czech",
      "Czech#Polish"
    ],
    [
      "Czech",
      "Czech#Old_Polish"
    ],
    [
      "Čech",
      "Čech#Old_Czech"
    ],
    [
      "*čelověkъ",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/čelověkъ"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Burmese",
      "lang_code": "my",
      "word": "ချက်",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "hkyak"
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Of, from, or pertaining to Czechia, the Czech people, culture, or language."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ],
      "recordId": "de1c03269a6cbce44f9b7f106edcbca63fa63ca71c5c273081d8db46acace6ec",
      "rawRecordSha256": "e3b05a363ff822d0b760a88bef24aee46b0ffb0c8591e0dd8f8dd31fbabfa710",
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    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Czech →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-Q3plY2g