prací

Prací is a Czech word form that can function in two distinct grammatical ways depending on context. It can be the genitive plural of the noun práce, meaning work or labor, and it can also be a participial adjective derived from the verb prát, meaning to wash, used in compounds to indicate washing-related functions or actions.

As a noun form, prací appears in phrases that refer to work or labor in a general or collective sense. It is found in constructions governed by prepositions that require the genitive case, for example phrases like bez prací (without work). In such uses, it expresses a relationship to work rather than a specific object.

As an adjective or participle, prací describes a relation to washing. It commonly appears in compound nouns and terms related to laundry or cleaning, such as prací prášek (washing powder) or prací prostředek (washing agent). In these compounds, the meaning conveyed is “washing” or “washing-related.”

Usage notes and distinctions: the same form can appear with different meanings, so context is essential to determine whether it refers to work (a noun form) or to washing (a participial adjective). The two uses are standard in Czech and are listed in dictionaries under separate entries that share the same spelling but different senses and grammatical functions.

See also: prace (work), prát (to wash), prací prostředek, prací prášek.