Etymology Explorer › Old Czech

Where does “zlý” come from?

zlý (Old Czech) comes from Proto-Slavic zъlъ, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *źulas, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰwel- — to bend; to lie, deceive.

Ancestry of “zlý”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Slaviczъlъbad
2Proto-Balto-Slavic*źulas—
3Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰwel-to bend; to lie, deceive
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰwel- →