pribaviti

pribaviti is a verb found in several South Slavic languages, particularly Serbian and Croatian, where it has a range of meanings related to acquisition and possession. It is typically used transitively, meaning to obtain, acquire, or bring something into one's possession. Examples include phrases such as “pribavili smo nove knjige” (we have acquired new books) or “pribaviti se telekomunikacije” (to secure telecommunications). The verb can also be used reflexively as “pribaviti se,” which often implies becoming settled or calmed down, as in “pribavite se u titu spavanju” (settle into this kind of sleep). Across Slavic languages, it shares a semantic field with synonyms like dobiti (to get), doznati (to discover), or obezbediti (to secure), but it carries a nuance of actively retrieving or securing.

The etymology of pribaviti traces back to the Proto‑Slavic root *baviti-, meaning “to engage, to do,” combined with the prefix pri- signifying “toward” or “with.” This composition conveys a sense of bringing something into a state of being or control. In literary usage, the word appears in older texts where it is sometimes used metonymically to refer to achieving a goal or task. In contemporary vernacular, it remains a useful verb for casual conversation and everyday transactions, and it is also occasionally employed in idiomatic expressions that emphasize the act of securing or arranging something, for instance “pribaviti na poslu” (to secure a job).