prostranstvích

Prostranstvích is the locative plural form of the Czech noun prostranství, which denotes a space, area, expanse or open place. As a grammatical form, prostranstvích is used after prepositions that require the locative case (such as v, na, o) to indicate location within or about multiple areas or expanses.

The term appears in both literal and figurative contexts. Literally it can refer to physical open spaces—parks, plazas, fields or parts of urban and rural landscapes—when speaking about several such places ("v prostranstvích měst" — in the spaces of cities). Figuratively, it is employed to describe conceptual domains or spheres, for example in discussions of cultural, intellectual or emotional “spaces” ("v prostranstvích paměti" — in the spaces of memory).

Etymology traces the word prostranství to Slavic roots related to "space" and "room" (from Czech prostraný/prostý-related stems), with the locative plural formed by regular declension patterns of neuter nouns ending in -í. Pronunciation in Czech can be approximated as [prostranstviːx], with final ch pronounced as a voiceless velar fricative.

Usage notes: because prostranství is neuter and often identical in nominative singular and plural, the locative plural form prostranstvích is important for clarity in prepositional phrases referring to multiple spaces.