Where does “Святослав” come from?
Святослав (Russian) comes from Old East Slavic Свѧтославъ, from Old East Slavic свѧтъ, from Proto-Slavic svętъ, from Proto-Balto-Slavic śwentas, from Proto-Indo-European ḱwen- — holy, sacred.
Ancestry of “Святослав”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old East Slavic | Свѧтославъ | Svyatoslav |
| 2 | Old East Slavic | свѧтъ | holy, sacred |
| 3 | Proto-Slavic | svętъ | holy, sacred |
| 4 | Proto-Balto-Slavic | śwentas | holy, sacred |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱwen- | holy, sacred |