*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Nowak

Borrowed from Polish Nowak (“newcomer”).

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
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.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
name

A surname from Polish.

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

Borrowed from Polish Nowak (“newcomer”).

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "pl:Nowak<t:newcomer>",
        "tree": "1",
        "text": "2"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"gloss\" : \"newcomer\", \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Polish\", \"term\" : \"Nowak\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"pl\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"Nowak\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"Nowak\">\nBorrowed from Polish Nowak (“newcomer”)."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "pl:Nowak<t:newcomer>",
        "tree": "1",
        "text": "2"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *nu\nProto-Indo-European *néwos\nProto-Balto-Slavic *náwas\nProto-Slavic *nòvъ\nOld Polish nowy\nPolish nowy\nProto-Indo-European *-h₂\nProto-Indo-European *-éh₂\nProto-Indo-European *-kos\nProto-Indo-European *-eh₂kos\nProto-Balto-Slavic *-āˀkas\nProto-Slavic *-akъ\nOld Polish -ak\nPolish -ak\nPolish nowak\nPolish Nowakbor.\nEnglish Nowak\nBorrowed from Polish Nowak (“newcomer”), from nowak."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Nowak",
      "Nowak#Polish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname from Polish."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "94fbd10262569847cb935de7adf42b3d7b05ce2dafc6d7012976fe02c4d045a5",
      "rawRecordSha256": "003eb9a09dc6b7e3ed4c3b18af2c1b550a04b754c954bfbb7f8245b662a9f012",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1597245
    }
  ],
  "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 Nowak →

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-Tm93YWs