Význam

Význam is a noun used in Czech and Slovak to denote meaning or significance. In linguistic terms it refers to the content expressed by a linguistic form, including what a word or sentence refers to and the ideas it conveys.

In semantics, the concept of význam covers several layers. The lexical or denotative meaning is what a word stands for in the world, while connotative meaning includes the associations, emotions, and cultural nuances connected to the expression. In addition, the meaning of a sentence depends on grammar and context, so the same words can yield different význam in different situations. Linguists also distinguish between lexical meaning (the inherent content of a word) and broader pragmatic or communicative meaning (how context shapes interpretation).

Beyond linguistics, význam is commonly used to express importance or significance in everyday language. For example, saying that something “has significant význam” or “has great význam for the community” communicates its importance, not just its literal content. The term thus operates in both technical and everyday registers.

Etymology traces vý- and význam to the broader Slavic verb families related to marking, indicating, or denoting. The word is closely related to forms of the verb znamenat, which means to mean or to denote. In Czech and Slovak, význam thus sits at the intersection of linguistic content and practical importance, central to how language conveys and weighs information.