stovky

Stovky is a Czech feminine noun that refers to the quantity of hundreds. It is the plural form of stovka, a unit meaning one hundred. The singular stovka denotes the exact number 100, while the plural stovky is used to describe amounts in the hundreds, often in a non-precise or collective sense.

In use, stovky typically appear with modifiers that indicate approximation or grouping. Common constructions include několik stovek, which means several hundreds, or stovky lidí, stovky korun, and similar phrases referring to hundreds of units of people, money, or items. The term is especially common in journalism, statistics, and everyday speech when exact counts are unnecessary or impractical.

Grammar-wise, stovky is the nominative plural form. The corresponding genitive plural is stovek, which appears after numerals and quantifiers that require the genitive in Czech, such as několik stovek lidí. Other inflected forms follow standard Czech noun patterns for feminine -ka nouns.

Etymology traces stovka to the root sto (hundred) with a suffix that forms a noun indicating a plural or collective sense. The concept is shared across Slavic languages, with related forms in neighboring languages that express hundreds or large quantities.

See also: desítky (tens), tisíce (thousands), miliony (millions), čísla (numbers).