Lekárni

Lekárni is a verb found in some dialects of Slovak and Czech. It derives from lekár, meaning "doctor," with an infinitive-like ending linked to other verbal formations. The sense most commonly attested in historical or regional use is "to act as a physician" or "to provide medical treatment." In contemporary standard Slovak and Czech, this meaning is typically expressed with liečiť (to treat), ošetriť, or predpisovať lieky (to prescribe medicines). As a result, lekárni is rare in modern prose and is usually encountered in dialect dictionaries, historical texts, or linguistic notes rather than everyday speech.

The word should not be confused with related terms for medical professions: lekárnik (pharmacist) and lekáreň (pharmacy). The latter two are more common in everyday language and have specific concrete meanings, whereas lekárni behaves as a verb with a general medical sense in older or regional usage.

In linguistic discussions, lekárni is cited as an example of a semantic shift or form-meaning relationship in which a noun-derived stem forms a verb with the meaning related to the principal agent (doctor) and the act of providing care. For learners of Slovak or Czech, it is advisable to rely on standard verbs for medical actions and treat lekárni as a historical or dialectal note.

See also: lekáreň, lekárnik, liečiť, predpisovať lieky.