slavonic

Everyday

1. To do with the Slavs, the peoples of central and eastern Europe such as Ukrainians, Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Serbs, Croats, Bulgarians and Russians, or with their languages. tree →
2. Old Church Slavonic is an old Slavic language used in church services and early books of Orthodox Christians. tree →
3. Slavonia is also a region of Croatia; «Slavonian» describes it. tree →

In the lessons

In language and history lessons pupils learn that Ukrainian, Polish and Czech are Slavonic (Slavic) languages, related to each other like English is to German. In church history, Saints Cyril and Methodius created an alphabet for Old Church Slavonic in the 800s. In music, Dvořák wrote «Slavonic Dances».

Examples

• Ukrainian and Polish are both Slavonic languages. tree →
• Dvořák's Slavonic Dances are lively pieces of music. tree →
• The priest read the prayers in Church Slavonic. tree →
• Many Slavonic languages use the Cyrillic alphabet. tree →
• My friend is learning a Slavonic language: Czech. tree →
• Slavonic peoples live across eastern and central Europe. tree →
• Troyan is also the name of a mythical king who often figures in Slavonic legends. tree →

Note

Usually written with a capital S. «Slavic» is more common in the USA, «Slavonic» in older British use. Do not confuse with «slave»; the history of the two words is debated, and calling Slavs «slaves» is offensive.