prostriedok

Prostriedok is a Slovak noun meaning a means, instrument, or medium used to achieve a purpose. It can refer to tangible tools or equipment, but also to intangible aids such as financial resources, approaches, methods, or channels of communication. The sense is broad and context-dependent, covering both material resources (finančné prostriedky, laboratory prostriedok) and non-material techniques (prostriedok na riešenie problému, prostriedok komunikácie).

The word is masculine and commonly used in singular as prostriedok and in plural as prostriedky. It appears in phrases like finančné prostriedky, prostriedok na dezinfekciu, or prostriedok na riešenie problému. In formal or technical writing, prostriedok can denote a means of achieving an outcome, a device, or a methodological tool within a system or process.

In Slovak, as in related Slavic languages, prostriedok has cognates such as Czech prostředek, Polish środek, and Russian sredstvo, all conveying a similar idea of a means or medium. The term shares semantic space with related words like nástroj (tool), zariadenie (equipment), or zdroj (source or supply), but prostriedok emphasizes the role of enabling or facilitating an end rather than the end itself.

See also: prostředek, środek, sredstvo, nástroj, zdroj. Prototypical examples include allocating prostriedky for a project, using a particular prostriedok to communicate, or selecting a medical prostriedok for treatment.