pozdním

Pozdním is the instrumental singular form of the Czech adjective pozdní, meaning late or belated. It is used when the adjective modifies a masculine or neuter noun in the instrumental case, often to indicate the manner or means by which something happens or to describe something that occurs late in time.

Grammatically, pozdní declines like other Czech adjectives. In the instrumental singular masculine and neuter, the form is pozdním; feminine forms and plural endings follow the standard adjective declension patterns. The choice of form depends on the gender and number of the noun it modifies, and it typically appears in phrases that describe timing, means of travel, or manner.

Common usages include phrases such as pozdním vlakem, meaning by a late train, or pozdním způsobem, meaning in a belated or late manner. These constructions show how pozdním functions as a standard inflected adjective rather than a separate lexical item. Its appearance is restricted to grammatical contexts where the noun is in instrumental or other cases that require the corresponding adjective ending.

Etymology traces pozdní back to Proto-Slavic *pozdьnъ, related to the Slavic family of words meaning late or after. The prefix po- and the root meaning of lateness are reflected in its modern Czech form and its inflectional behavior, which aligns with the general rules for Czech adjectives.

See also: pozdní (the base adjective), grammar of Czech adjectives, instrumental case in Czech.