Etymology Explorer › Serbo-Croatian

Where does “зао” come from?

зао (Serbo-Croatian) comes from Proto-Slavic zъlъ, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *źulas, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰwel- — to bend; to lie, deceive.

Ancestry of “зао”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Slaviczъlъbad
2Proto-Balto-Slavic*źulas—
3Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰwel-to bend; to lie, deceive

Words derived from “зао”

  • злочин
  • безазлен
  • зло
  • злоћа
  • злица
  • злобник
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰwel- →