*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Kosak

* As a Polish, Lower Sorbian (Kósak), Czech and Slovak surname, variant of Kós, surname meaning "blackbird," from Proto-Slavic *kosъ, and Kosa, meaning "scythe." The Sorbian forms are sometimes Germanized as Kossack or i

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In this entry · 1 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.

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
name

A surname.

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

* As a Polish, Lower Sorbian (Kósak), Czech and Slovak surname, variant of Kós, surname meaning "blackbird," from Proto-Slavic *kosъ, and Kosa, meaning "scythe." The Sorbian forms are sometimes Germanized as Kossack or in some cases Kozak. * Also as a Czech surname, from košák (“beehive”), itself formed from koš (“basket”). * As a Slovene surname, from koščak (“kind of nut tree”), probably from kost (“bone”). Compare Koschak. * As a Serbo-Croatian surname, from košak (“basket”). Compare Kosack.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Derivation mention*kosъsla-pro
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {},
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pl",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Polish"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "dsb",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Lower Sorbian"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cs",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Czech"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sk",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Slovak"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sla-pro",
        "3": "*kosъ"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Slavic *kosъ"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sl",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Slovene"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sh",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Serbo-Croatian"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Kósak",
      "Kósak#English"
    ],
    [
      "Kós",
      "Kós#English"
    ],
    [
      "*kosъ",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/kosъ"
    ],
    [
      "Kosa",
      "Kosa#English"
    ],
    [
      "Kossack",
      "Kossack#English"
    ],
    [
      "Kozak",
      "Kozak#English"
    ],
    [
      "košák",
      "košák#Czech"
    ],
    [
      "koš",
      "koš#Czech"
    ],
    [
      "koščak",
      "koščak#Slovene"
    ],
    [
      "kost",
      "kost#Slovene"
    ],
    [
      "Koschak",
      "Koschak#English"
    ],
    [
      "košak",
      "koš#Serbo-Croatian"
    ],
    [
      "Kosack",
      "Kosack#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "910adb42e9b12abf1fdc21724b232d546478560b61c6d8e74a149402d4a9d8eb",
      "rawRecordSha256": "4bf1ad90ae3f0def030d096152bd302fb45009451a0922454275fe9dd01b1541",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 6675675
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "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 Kosak →

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-S29zYWs