crkva

Crkva is the term for church in several South Slavic languages, including Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian, Montenegrin, and Macedonian. In Latin script it is written as Crkva; in Cyrillic it is црква. The word denotes the building used for Christian worship as well as the broader sense of the Christian church as an institution. In addition to its religious sense, Crkva is also used as a toponym: there are places named Crkva in the Balkans, typically indicating the historical presence of a church at the site.

Etymology and cognates: The word derives from Proto-Slavic forms such as crьkva and is ultimately borrowed from Greek kyriakon through Church Slavonic црква/церковь. Related forms appear in neighboring languages, for example Bulgarian църква (tsarkva) and Russian церковь (tserkov’), reflecting a common origin in early Christian terminology.

Usage and context: Crkva refers to a Christian church building and, by extension, the church as an organization. The term appears in everyday speech, religious contexts, literature, and on maps. When used as a place name, it often points to a village or locality where a church has historically been a notable landmark.

See also: Church in Slavic languages; Slavic linguistics; Etymology of church terms.