znaku

Znak is a Polish noun meaning sign, mark, or symbol. The genitive form is znaku. The word covers a broad range of indicators that convey information or identify something, from natural signals to cultural or mathematical representations. In everyday language, a znak can be a cue, an emblem, or any object used to signal or identify.

Etymology and grammar: znak comes from Old Polish and Proto-Slavic origins, with the basic sense of a mark or sign. It is a masculine noun, with the plural znaki and the genitive singular znaku. The genitive form znaku appears in phrases like kolor znaku, bezpiecznikiem znaku, or wartość znaku, where possession or description requires the genitive case.

Domains and usage: in everyday life, znaki include road signs (znaki drogowe), weather indicators, or symbolic signs in culture. In typography and computing, znak refers to a character or symbol within a character set, with terms like kod znaku meaning a character code. In mathematics and logic, the term znak denotes the sign of a number, used in expressions such as dodatni znak (positive sign) or ujemny znak (negative sign) and in the sign function znaku liczby, which yields −1, 0, or +1. The phrase znaki zodiaku denotes zodiac signs, illustrating the term’s broad applicability.

See also: related concepts include znaki drogowe, znaki interpunkcyjne (punctuation marks), and znaki towarowe (trademarks).