boriti

Boriti is a verb used in several South Slavic languages, especially Croatian, Serbian, and Bosnian. It conveys the idea of striving, contending, or fighting, and it can be used both literally and figuratively. The reflexive form boriti se denotes struggling or fighting against a person, situation, or obstacle.

Etymology and cognates: Boriti derives from a common Proto-Slavic root related to the noun borba (struggle) and boj (battle). Cognate forms appear across Slavic languages, for example Russian borot'sya (to fight or struggle), Polish bojować, and Bulgarian боря се (borya se).

Usage: With the reflexive se, boriti se expresses ongoing effort or struggle: On se bori s bolešću (He is fighting/struggling with illness). It can also take prepositions to specify the object of the struggle, such as boriti se za something (to strive for something) or boriti se против something (to fight against something). The noun borba, derived from the same root, denotes the act or process of fighting or struggling and frequently appears in political, historical, and literary contexts.

Grammatical notes: In standard Croatian, Serbian, and Bosnian, boriti is a regular verb that follows common conjugation patterns for its language family; boriti se is the common reflexive form. The meaning shifts with context, ranging from physical combat to moral, political, or personal resistance. The root also gives rise to related terms such as boja (color in some contexts, but etymologically linked to battle) and borba (struggle).

See also: borba, boj, boriti se.