Slav Definition

Origin of Slav

• Commonly thought to derive from Proto-Slavic *slovo (“word"), thus meaning "those who speak meaningfully" and contrasting with *nÄ›mÑŒcÑŒ (“foreigner", literally “dumb/mute person"). However, that word is an s-stem and thus the inflectional stem of that word is *sloves-, so it cannot be the direct origin as it would lead to an expected form *slovesÄ›ni (compare Russian словесность (slovesnost')). Thus the most likely origin is the verb *sluti (“to be known"). Both words ultimately derive from Proto-Indo-European *ḱlew- (“fame").

  From Wiktionary

• Middle English sclave, from Medieval Latin sclavus or Sclavus, from Byzantine Greek Σκλάβος (Sklábos), from earlier Σκλαβῆνος (SklabÄ“nos), plural Σκλαβῆνοι (SklabÄ“noi), from Proto-Slavic *slovÄ›nji, *slovÄ›ne (“those who speak meaningfully"), singular *slovÄ›ninÑŠ. Compare Old Church Slavonic словѣни (slovÄ›ni), словѣнє (slovÄ›ne, “Thessalonian Slavs"), Old East Slavic словѣне (slovÄ›ne, “Slavs near Novgorod").

  From Wiktionary

• Middle English Sclave from Medieval Latin Sclāvus from Late Greek Sklabos alteration of Old Slavic Slověninŭ

  From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition