przewodnika

Przewodnika is the genitive singular form of the Polish noun przewodnik, which has several related meanings. In common use, przewodnik can refer to a person who leads others—typically a tour guide—someone who provides information, safety, and navigation on trips or visits. It can also denote a guidebook or travel manual, a book that offers information, routes, and recommendations about a place or topic. In scientific and technical contexts, przewodnik may mean a conductor, a material or component that conducts electricity or heat, and in physics and engineering a waveguide can be described as a przewodnik falowy.

Etymology and morphology: przewodnik is formed from the verb prowadzić, meaning to lead, with the agentive suffix -nik. The word is masculine and declines according to standard Polish patterns. The genitive singular form is przewodnika, used in phrases such as koszty przewodnika turystycznego (costs of the tour guide) or autor przewodnika (the author of the guidebook). The plural form is przewodnicy.

Usage and nuances: As a person, przewodnik emphasizes actual guiding services or expertise in a location. As a book, it emphasizes informational content designed to help a reader navigate a place or subject. In technical writing, przewodnik identifies a component that conducts electricity or heat, or, in the context of optics and communications, a waveguide.

See also: przewodnictwo, przewodnik turystyczny, przewodnik po Polsce, przewodnik elektryczny.