Zviera

Zviera is the Slovak noun for animal or creature. It denotes a living being of the animal kingdom and is used for both individual animals and in generic references. In everyday Slovak, zviera is common and neutral, and it appears in phrases such as domáce zviera (a domestic animal) and divé zvieratá (wild animals). In zoological or ecological writing, zviera may be contrasted with rastlina (plant) and other living groups.

The word is etymologically related to other Slavic languages; it is cognate with Czech zvíře and Polish zwierzę, all descended from a Proto-Slavic root referring to wild beasts. The Slovak form zviera reflects sound changes in the language's historical development.

In usage, zviera is a common, neutral noun. It appears in compound terms and in general discussions of wildlife, domesticated animals, and zoological classification.