Zlého

Zlého is a grammatical form of the Czech adjective zlý, meaning "evil" or "bad." Specifically, zlého is the genitive singular form used with masculine and neuter nouns. As with other Czech adjectives, its form changes to reflect gender, number, and case in the noun it modifies. The word itself is not a separate lexeme; it is a declined variant of zlý that appears in constructions requiring genitive singular.

Etymology: The adjective zlý derives from a Proto-Slavic root meaning "bad" or "evil," with cognates in other Slavic languages (for example Russian zly, Polish zły). The genitive singular form zlého follows the regular pattern for masculine and neuter adjectives in Czech, reflecting the historical development of the language’s declension system.

Usage and morphology: In genitive singular, zlého accompanies masculine animate nouns and many masculine inanimate nouns, as well as neuter nouns. Examples include zlého muže ("of a bad man"), zlého psa ("of a bad dog"), and zlého dítěte ("of an evil child"). The feminine genitive singular is zlé, not zlého. In plural, the corresponding forms are zlých (genitive plural) and zlí or zlé (nominative plural, by gender). The form zlého can also appear in other syntactic roles that require the genitive case, including after prepositions governing the genitive.

See also: zlý, zlo, zlí.