spomin

Spomin is a noun in Slovenian and other South Slavic languages describing memory, recollection, or remembrance. In Slovenian it denotes the mental faculty of remembering as well as a remembered event or thing. Common collocations include spomin na dogodke (the memory of events) and spomin na otroštvo (childhood memories). The term also appears in phrases such as spominski dan referring to a remembrance day.

Etymology: Spomin derives from the Proto-Slavic root *spominъ, with cognates in other Slavic languages such as Russian спомин spomin and Polish wspomnienie. The semantic field covers both personal memory and collective memory or commemoration.

Usage and form: In everyday Slovenian, spomin is used for both individual memories and collective remembrance. Its adjectival form spominski describes memorial or commemorative things, and the noun spomenik denotes a monument or memorial.

Cultural significance: The concept of spomin appears in literature, history, and memory studies, where it is used to discuss how past events are recalled, recorded, and commemorated. Memorial sites, museums, and commemorative events often frame themselves as custodians of the spomin of a people or a period.