právný

Právný is an adjective in the Czech language that denotes something related to law, rights, or legitimacy. Its meaning can refer to what is in accordance with the law (legal) or to what is morally or socially rightful (legitimate). The sense depends on context, and the term often overlaps with discussions of justice and entitlement.

In contemporary standard Czech, the more common word for “legal” is právní. Therefore, právný tends to appear in older texts, literary style, or fixed expressions, and can sound archaic or emphatic in modern prose. Nevertheless, it may still be found in phrases such as právný nárok (a rightful claim) or právný důvod (a legitimate reason), though alternatives like oprávněný or legitimní are frequently preferred in everyday usage.

Etymology and related terms: právný is derived from právo, meaning law or right. It shares the same semantic field as other forms built on the root prav- (truth, right). Related words include právo (law/right), právník (lawyer), and právní (legal; the common modern form in compound expressions like právní řád, právní předpis).

Notes: In modern Czech, the distinction between právný and právní is primarily a matter of register and collocation. While právní is the dominant form for legal contexts, právný appears in older or stylistically marked language and can help convey a sense of tradition, formality, or emphasis on rightful entitlement.