znaczenie

Znaczenie is a Polish noun that denotes meaning or significance. In everyday language it refers to what something expresses, implies, or stands for, and to the importance or relevance of an event, action, or object.

In linguistics and philosophy of language, znaczenie denotes the content or sense associated with a linguistic expression. It is often distinguished from odniesienie (reference) and konotacja (connotation). Different theories treat znaczenie as psychological content, mental representation, or intentional reference, whereas denotacja or odniesienie concerns the actual thing in the world to which the expression refers.

The term is also used more broadly to express significance in non-linguistic contexts: znaczenie decyzji, znaczenie kultury, znaczenie kontekstu, indicating value, impact, or relevance rather than linguistic content.

Etymology: znaczenie derives from the verb znaczyć, meaning to signify or indicate; the noun form uses the common Polish suffix -enie to create a concept from the verb.

In practice, znaczenie is a central notion in semantics and semiotics. Dictionaries present the primary sense of words, while scholars analyze how znaczenie relates to usage, interpretation, and communication. The term remains polyvalent, covering both factual content of expressions and their social or practical importance.

See also: semantyka, semiotyka, denotacja, konotacja.