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Origin and history of Czech

Czech(n.)

"member of the westernmost branch of the Slavic people," the native name for Bohemians (and including the Moravians), 1848, from Czech český "Bohemian, Czech," which is said to be from the name of an ancestral chief (who is mentioned in English by 1837). Room says "some" derive it from a source akin to Czech četa "army." Meaning "the Czech language" and use as an adjective both are also from 1848. Sometimes in early use, Tshekh, from French.

also from 1848

Entries linking to Czech

Czechoslovakia(n.)

Central European nation from 1919-1992, from Czecho-, Latinized combining form of Czech + Slovakia (see Slovak). Related: Czechoslovak; Czechoslovakian. Since the breakup the western part has been known in English as the Czech Republic or Czechia.

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    delve
    This is perhaps from a PIE root *dhelbh- (source also of Lithuanian delba "crowbar," Russian dolbit', Czech dlabati, Polish...dłubać "to chisel;" Russian dolotó, Czech dlato, Polish dłuto "chisel")....
    welkin
    ), perhaps from PIE *welg- "wet" (source also of Lithuanian vilgyti "to moisten," Old Church Slavonic vlaga "moisture," Czech...
    smegma
    detergent, soap, unguent," from smēkhein "to wipe off, wipe clean, cleanse," from PIE root *smeh- "to smear" (source also of Czech...
    mallet
    from Proto-Italic *molalo-, *molklo- "hammer," from PIE *molkh-tlo- "crushing instrument," source also of Russian molot, Czech...
    polka
    kind of lively round-dance which originated in Bohemia, 1844, from French polka, German Polka, probably from Czech polka,...The word might also be an alteration of Czech pulka "half," for the half-steps of Bohemian peasant dances....
    afflict
    This is reconstructed to be from PIE root *bhlig- "to strike" (source also of Greek phlibein "to press, crush," Czech blizna...
    whisk
    German wisc, German wisch "wisp, brush"), from PIE root *weis- "to turn, twist" (source also of Sanskrit veskah "noose," Czech...
    decide
    late 14c., "to settle a dispute, determine a controversy," from Old French decider, from Latin decidere "to decide, determine," literally "to cut off," from de "off" (see de-) + caedere "to cut" (from PIE root *kae-id- "to strike"). For Latin vowel change, see acquisition. Sense
    conspiracy
    mid-14c., "a plotting of evil, unlawful design; a combination of persons for an evil purpose," from Anglo-French conspiracie, Old French conspiracie "conspiracy, plot," from Latin conspirationem (nominative conspiratio) "agreement, union, unanimity," noun of action from past-part
    Prometheus
    in Greek mythology, a demigod (son of the Titan Iapetus) who made man from clay and stole fire from heaven and taught mankind its use, for which he was punished by Zeus by being chained to a rock in the Caucasus, where a vulture came every day and preyed on his liver. The name is

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