vek

Vek is a term used in several Slavic languages to denote a long span of time, typically an age, era, or century. It appears in both everyday and scholarly contexts, and its precise sense can vary by language and historical period.

Etymology and cognates: Vek derives from Proto-Slavic *věkъ and has related forms in many Slavic languages. In Czech and Slovak the form věk covers both age (of a person) and a historical epoch, while in Russian and Ukrainian the form век mainly means a century or broad historical era. In Polish the cognate wiek likewise encompasses age and century. These variations reflect a common Slavic root for extended time, with local adaptations in usage and nuance.

Usage and examples: In Russian one can encounter phrases such as прошлый век (the past century) or XXI век (the twenty-first century), where vek denotes a large time span. In Czech, věk appears in personal age questions such as V jakém věku jsi? and in historical terms like středověk (the Middle Ages) or novověk (the early modern period). In Polish, wiek is used similarly in reference to age (w jakim wieku) and to centuries (wiek XX). In Serbo-Croatian, vek can appear in historical or literary contexts, though stoljeće is more common for naming centuries in everyday language. Overall, vek remains a versatile word tied to time scales of considerable duration, especially in historical and linguistic discussions.

See also: age, era, century.