zakonski

Zakonski is an adjective used in several South Slavic languages, notably Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, and Slovenian, to denote legal or statutory matters. It describes things related to law, statutes, or official rules and is common in legal and governmental discourse.

Etymology and form: The term derives from the noun zakon, meaning law or statute, with the adjectival suffix -ski. This formation is typical in Slavic languages for creating descriptors such as “legal” or “statutory.”

Usage: Zakonski qualifiers modify nouns to indicate they pertain to law or formal regulation. Examples include zakonski rok (statutory deadline), zakonske odredbe (statutory provisions), and zakonska nadležnost (legal jurisdiction). The word is generally not a proper noun and functions as a regular descriptive modifier in sentences.

Relation to other terms: Similar concepts exist in related languages, with cognate forms in Czech and Slovak (zakonný) and other Slavic languages that express “lawful” or “statutory.” While closely related in meaning to legal terminology, zakonski is specifically tied to the domain of statutes and official rules in the South Slavic linguistic sphere.

Notes: The term is most commonly encountered in formal, administrative, and legal texts. In everyday speech, speakers may also use broader terms for “legal” or “lawful,” depending on dialect and country.