dawnych

Dawny is a Polish adjective meaning “former” or “from a past time.” It is used to describe things associated with the past, such as historical periods, previous statuses, or objects no longer current. The sense can be neutral, simply indicating relation to the past, or contextual, pointing to something that belonged to another time rather than the present. It often contrasts with nowym (new) and stary (old in the sense of aged).

Declension and usage: as a standard Polish adjective, dawany agrees with the noun in gender, number and case. In singular: masculine dawny, feminine dawna, neuter dawne. In plural: nominative dawni (masculine personal) and dawne (feminine and neuter). Genitive plural is dawnych, as in “dawnych czasów” (of bygone times). Common phrases include “dawny dom,” “dawna szkoła,” and “dawne czasy.” The form and meaning are established through standard adjective agreement, so each gender and number takes the corresponding ending.

Etymology and nuance: the word is connected to the old Polish vocabulary and is related to the adverb “dawno,” meaning “long ago.” Dawny emphasizes the former status or the time of origin rather than age alone. It is typically neutral, but in some contexts it can carry evaluative nuance, especially when paired with nouns that imply nostalgia or loss, such as “dawne czasy” or “dawny reżim.”

See also: related terms include stary, przestarzały, and archaiczny, which convey different shades of age or obsolescence.