Vreme

Vreme is a noun used in Romanian and several South Slavic languages, where it most commonly denotes weather but can also refer to a period of time. In Romanian, vreme is specifically linked to weather, while the word for time is timp. In many Slavic languages, a cognate form such as vreme or vrijeme covers both concepts, with differences in usage depending on the language and context.

Etymology and usage across languages. The term derives from proto-Slavic roots related to the notion of time, and over time it acquired semantic extensions in various languages. In Romanian, the distinction is clear: vremea means “the weather,” whereas timp means “time.” In Serbo-Croatian and related languages, the root often appears in forms such as vreme (and vrijeme in some varieties), used for both weather and time, with context or qualifiers determining the precise sense.

Common phrases and examples. In Romanian, common phrases include weather-centered uses such as "Vremea este frumoasă astăzi" (The weather is nice today) and fixed expressions like "în vreme ce" (while, in the time that). In South Slavic varieties, you might encounter phrases where vreme means time (e.g., elapsed time) or weather, depending on sentence structure and regional spelling (vrijeme in some dialects of Croatian and Bosnian, and vreme in Serbian). The word also appears in idiomatic expressions and in titles or names in some regions.

See also. Weather, time, Romanian language, South Slavic languages, etymology.