Where does “начелник” come from?

начелник (Serbo-Croatian) comes from Serbo-Croatian на, from Proto-Slavic na, from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- — on, onto.

начелник (Serbo-Croatian): chief

Definitions

  1. chief

Ancestry of “начелник”, step by step

начелник traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Serbo-Croatian на

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Serbo-Croatianнаto, on, onto; on, at, in; by, for, at
2Proto-Slavicnaon; concerning; onto
3Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂en-on, onto

via Serbo-Croatian челник

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Serbo-Croatianчелникchief, chieftain, leader, head

Words derived from “начелник”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- →Every word from Proto-Slavic na →Every word from Serbo-Croatian на →