znaenje

Znaenje is a nonstandard or typographical variant of the Slavic noun značenje, found in languages such as Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, and Slovene, where it means meaning or significance. In standard orthography, the form is značenje, with the noun representing the content conveyed by a word, sentence, sign, or symbol. The term is used across linguistics, semiotics, philosophy, and everyday language to refer to the sense or information communicated by signs and utterances.

Etymology and meaning: Znaenje derives from a root related to knowing, combined with a productive Slavic suffix that forms abstract nouns denoting a state, result, or concept. The resulting term concerns what a sign or utterance expresses beyond its literal form, i.e., its meaning, sense, or significance.

Orthography and variants: The form znaenje lacks the diacritic č found in značenje. Such omissions occur in plain-text transmission, early computing, or contexts where diacritics are unavailable or discouraged. In formal writing and standard dictionaries, značenje is preferred. Znaenje is typically treated as a misspelling rather than a distinct lexical item.

Usage notes: When writing in formal contexts, use značenje. Readers may encounter znaenje in non-diacritic text or informal contexts, but the intended meaning remains the same: the meaning or significance of a sign, word, or action.

See also: semantics, meaning (linguistics), signification, linguistics.