Vedecký

Vedecké is a Slovak adjective meaning “scientific,” derived from the noun veda, meaning science. It is used to describe nouns related to science, research, and knowledge. The form appears in a wide range of common expressions, for example, verbiage such as vedecké poznatky (scientific findings), vedecké práce (scientific papers), vedecké výskumy (scientific research), and vedecké články (scientific articles). Because Slovak adjectives agree with the nouns they modify, the exact form of vedecké can vary with gender and number, but it is frequently encountered in neutral or plural contexts and in phrases naming institutions or disciplines.

In practice, vedecké is ubiquitous in academic and research language. It commonly prefixes terms in university settings, funding calls, journals, and descriptions of scientific activities. The cognate in Czech is vědecké, with a diacritic on the initial vowel, reflecting a closely related word with the same meaning across Czech and Slovak.

Etymologically, vedecké traces back to veda, the root for science or knowledge, and forms part of a family of terms describing systematic inquiry and scholarly work. While primarily encountered in Slovak, speakers may encounter related forms in neighboring languages with similar meaning. See also veda, scientific terminology, and academic terminology in Slovak.