Drustva

Drustva is the plural form of the noun drustvo (društvo in standard orthography) used in several South Slavic languages, including Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian. It denotes organized human groups and is commonly translated as “societies,” “associations,” or “clubs.” The term can also refer to the broader concept of a society or community, and it may describe both informal groups and formal organizations. In legal and business contexts, drustvo can mean a company or corporate entity, for example a limited liability company; in many ex-Yugoslav jurisdictions the phrase društvo s ograničenom odgovornošću is used for such entities, abbreviated as d.o.o.

Etymology: the word derives from a common Slavic root associated with forming unions or gatherings, and is cognate with Slovenian družba and Russian дружба (druz̄hba), though meanings diverge (friendship in Russian vs. society or association in Serbo-Croatian). The standard spelling with diacritics is društvo; drustvo is an ASCII variant used in contexts without diacritics or in transliterations.

Usage notes: "drustva" appears in references to multiple societies, associations, or clubs, as well as in broader discussions of social groups. Common examples include studentsko drustvo (student society) and kulturno drustvo (cultural society). In modern usage it remains a generic term rather than a specific institution.

See also: Društvo (disambiguation), Society, Association, Club, Limited liability company.