cieni

Cieni is the genitive plural form of the Polish noun cień, which means shadow, shade, or silhouette. This form is used in sentences where the noun is governed by a word or preposition that requires the genitive case, or when indicating a quantity of shadows. For example, in Polish one might say nie było cieni to indicate there were no shadows.

In addition to cieni, the noun has other declined forms: indeed, cienie is the nominative plural (shadows), cieniom is the dative plural, cieniem is the instrumental singular, cieniami is the instrumental plural, and cieniach is the locative plural. The genitive plural form cieni is therefore one of several inflected possibilities that allow the word to fit different syntactic roles within a sentence.

Etymologically, cień is a native Polish word meaning shadow or shade, and cieni is its standard genitive plural. The term is related to similar words in other Slavic languages that convey the sense of shade, silhouette, or darkness, reflecting a common semantic field across the family.

Usage and meaning extend beyond the literal sense of shadows. In Polish literature, art, and everyday speech, cień and its forms are employed metaphorically to denote absence, secrecy, or the unseen aspects of a situation, such as memories, uncertainties, or the atmosphere surrounding an event. As with many Polish nouns, the choice of form depends on the grammatical role within the sentence.