porazi

Porazi is the plural form of the masculine noun poraz, which means "defeat" in several South Slavic languages, including Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, and Slovene. The word derives from the Proto-Slavic *porazъ, a compound of the prefix po- (meaning "through, fully") and the root rǫzь (to cut or sever), suggesting the idea of being thoroughly overcome or severed from victory. Serbian and Croatian dialects use poraze for the singular and porazi for the plural, while in Bosnian both forms are widely understood.

In everyday speech, porazi refers to any loss or failure in competition, conflict, or endeavor. Politicians, historians, and sports commentators often discuss porazi in the context of military campaigns, sporting events, or political scandals, providing a succinct measure of success or decline. The term also appears in idiomatic expressions; for instance, "napraviti poraz" means "to bring a defeat" or "to cause a downfall."

In literary analysis, porazi can denote not only physical defeat but also moral or ideological vanquish. The concept is comparable to the English word "defeat" or the French "défaite" and is used similarly in discourse about national history and individual narratives. The study of porazi offers insight into how cultures encode the experience of failure, resilience, and eventual triumph in language.