Etymology Explorer › Serbo-Croatian

Where does “свет” come from?

свет (Serbo-Croatian) comes from Proto-Slavic světъ, from Proto-Balto-Slavic śwaitas, from Proto-Indo-European ḱweyt- — to shine.

Ancestry of “свет”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Slavicsvětъlight; world
2Proto-Balto-Slavicśwaitas—
3Proto-Indo-Europeanḱweyt-to shine

Words derived from “свет”

  • светитељ
  • светица
  • светац
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱweyt- →