Where does “prvňák” come from?
prvňák (Czech) comes from Czech první, from Czech prvý, from Old Czech prvý, from Proto-Slavic pьrvъ, from Proto-Balto-Slavic pírˀwas, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥h₂wós, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.
prvňák (Czech): a first grader
Ancestry of “prvňák”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Czech | první | first |
| 2 | Czech | prvý | first |
| 3 | Old Czech | prvý | — |
| 4 | Proto-Slavic | pьrvъ | first |
| 5 | Proto-Balto-Slavic | pírˀwas | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥h₂wós | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |