Where does “žalospev” come from?

žalospev (Slovak) comes from Slovak žiaľ, from Proto-Slavic *žàlь — burial monument.

žalospev (Slovak): elegy mournful or plaintive poem or song

Definitions

  1. elegy mournful or plaintive poem or song

Ancestry of “žalospev”, step by step

žalospev traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Slovak žiaľ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Slovakžiaľgrief
2Proto-Slavic*žàlьburial monument

via Serbo-Croatian spev

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Serbo-Croatianspevpoem; canto
Every word from Proto-Slavic *žàlь →Every word from Slovak žiaľ →