Mjestomesto

Mjestomesto is a compound noun found in some South Slavic linguistic contexts that denotes the exact place or site of something. The term combines forms related to place, namely mjesto and mesto, and is largely encountered in historical, dialectal, or lexicographic material rather than in contemporary standard usage.

Origin and form: In Croatian and Serbian, mjesto means “place,” and mesto is an older or dialectal variant. The combined form mjestomesto appears in archival documents and linguistic descriptions as a way to emphasize a specific locality, rather than a general description of a place. It is more common in older texts or specialized dictionaries than in everyday speech.

Usage and meaning: Mjestomesto is not a standard term in modern everyday Croatian or Serbian. It appears mainly in scholarly works, cartographic annotations, land registries, or historical writings. When used, it typically signals the exact site or location in question within a description. In contemporary standard usage, it is often preferable to employ terms such as lokacija (location) or to specify the precise site by descriptive phrases.

Examples: In a historical atlas, the mjestomesto of a fortress might be noted as the “exact site on the northern hill,” while a land register could designate the property’s mjestomesto on the map to indicate its precise location.

See also: Toponymy, Lexicography, Cartography.