Hodností

Hodností is a Czech and Slovak word form associated with the noun hodnost, commonly translated as "rank", "grade", or "dignity". In grammatical terms, hodností is the genitive plural of hodnost and appears in phrases denoting possession, classification, or enumeration (for example, seznam hodností — "a list of ranks"). The term is used across military, police, civil service, academic and ecclesiastical contexts to denote hierarchical positions and associated insignia, authority and protocol.

In institutional usage, hodnosti structure chains of command, determine pay scales and prescribe insignia and forms of address. Military and law-enforcement systems employ standardized hodnosti to organize personnel and manage promotion, while civil and academic systems use comparable grades to indicate seniority or qualification. In historical contexts, hodnosti could also refer to honorary titles and social ranks.

The word hodnost itself derives from Slavic linguistic roots conveying worth or dignity and has cognates in related languages. Hodností, as a grammatical form, appears in legal texts, administrative documents and everyday discourse when referencing multiple ranks or the attributes belonging to them. Comparative studies of hodnosti focus on rank equivalencies, insignia traditions and the social functions of hierarchical titles across different institutions and periods.