Glavna

Glavna is a feminine adjective used in several South Slavic languages, including Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian, and Slovenian, meaning “main,” “central,” or “principal” when it modifies a feminine noun. It derives from the Proto-Slavic root glav-, meaning “head,” and is related to glava (head) and glavni (masculine “main”). In everyday language, forms of glavna appear in phrases such as glavna ulica (main street), glavna zgrada (main building), or glavna tema (the main topic). The adjective agrees with the noun in gender, number, and case; masculine form is glavni and neuter form is glavno.

In toponymy, Glavna can occur as a place name or as part of larger geographic names in parts of the former Yugoslavia. It may designate villages or settlements that historically held a central or important role within a municipality. Because it functions both as a common descriptor and as a proper noun, its appearance on maps and in administrative contexts can reflect local naming conventions rather than a single standardized meaning.

Usage notes: as a linguistic term, glavna describes a feminine noun; as a geographical element, it often signals locality significance but does not by itself specify a particular type of place. The base root glav- appears across related words for “head” or “front,” and related forms include glavni (masculine) and glavna (feminine).

See also: glavni; glava; glavna ulica.