Where does “Yugoslavia” come from?
Yugoslavia derives from Serbo-Croatian Jugoslavija, from Serbo-Croatian slavija combined with Proto-Slavic jugъ, which traces to Proto-Indo-European h₂ewg-, h₂weg-, and h₂ug-.
Ancestry of “Yugoslavia”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Serbo-Croatian | Jugòslāvija | — |
| 2 | Serbo-Croatian | Jugoslàvēn | — |
| 3 | Serbo-Croatian | jug | south |
| 4 | Serbo-Croatian | -ina | Suffix appended to words to create a feminine... |
| 5 | Proto-Slavic | -ina | Denominal, forming collectives denoting something... |