Gjurmës

Gjurmës is the genitive singular form of the Albanian noun gjurmë, meaning a trace, track, or mark left by a person, animal, or event. The base word gjurmë covers both physical traces—such as footprints or signs in the ground—and broader, metaphorical signs or evidence. Gjurmë is a common, native term in everyday Albanian and in literary and academic language.

Grammatical note: Gjurmës functions as the genitive singular form of gjurmë. It is used in constructions that express possession, association, or relation to the trace, often in combination with prepositions or definite forms. In standard Albanian, the plural definite form is gjurmët, while the singular definite form is gjurma; gjurmës appears in contexts requiring the genitive singular.

Usage and scope: The concept of gjurmë appears across multiple domains. In archaeology, forensics, and natural history, it denotes physical traces or clues left by past activity. In history and literature, it is used figuratively to describe evidence of events, memory, or continuity—e.g., how historical gjurmët shape contemporary understanding. The term also appears in everyday language to describe signs or indicators of something that has occurred or disappeared, and it features in idiomatic expressions that reference memory, evidence, or lineage.

See also: gjurmë (the base noun), gjurmët (the definite plural).