Svojstvo

Svojstvo is a noun used in Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, and related South Slavic languages to denote a property, attribute, or characteristic of a thing. It refers to a feature that can be ascribed to objects, processes, or phenomena, whether tangible such as color or mass, or abstract such as reliability or legality. In everyday language it describes observable traits or capabilities, while in science and philosophy it covers more formal attributes.

Etymology: The word derives from the Slavic root svo-, meaning “one’s own,” with the suffix -stvo forming a noun that marks a state, condition, or property. This etymology reflects the sense of something belonging to or defining a thing.

Usage across fields: In science and engineering, physical properties of matter include mass, density, and conductivity. In philosophy and logic, svojstvo refers to a property or predicate that a thing can instantiate. In linguistics and grammar, it can denote features of words or constructions. In computer science, the term is commonly used as a translation of “property” or “attribute” describing data associated with an object or data structure, such as color, size, or access permissions.

See also: Property (philosophy); Attribute (computer science); Characteristic.