Gospodine

Gospodine is the vocative form of the South Slavic noun gospodin, meaning "sir," "mister," or "lord." It is used to address a man in a formal or courteous way, similar to “sir” or “mister” in English. In Croatian, Serbian, and Bosnian, it appears in everyday speech, for example: “Dobar dan, gospodine.” It is used when the speaker does not know the name or wishes to show respect, and it can convey different levels of formality depending on context.

In religious contexts, gospodine is used as a vocative to God, typically in prayers and liturgical language, equivalent to “Lord.”

Etymology: the term derives from the Proto-Slavic root gospod- meaning master or lord; in modern usage the nominative is gospodin and the vocative is gospodine.

Related terms: the feminine counterpart is gospođa ("lady" or "mrs."), and the corresponding plural is gospođe. The general English equivalents are "Sir" or "Mister" and, in religious contexts, "Lord."

Notes: The word is widely understood in Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. It carries formal or respectful connotations and can sound archaic in very casual speech, where a name or the informal ti form would be used instead.

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