známým

Známým is the instrumental singular form of the Czech word známý, which exists as both an adjective meaning well-known or famous and as a masculine noun meaning an acquaintance. In this form it is used after prepositions or in verbal constructions that require the instrumental case, for example se známým or s mým známým.

As an adjective, známý describes things or people that are familiar or widely recognized. It agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies, with feminine and neuter forms differing in endings from the masculine. As a noun, známý refers to a male acquaintance or friend, with related feminine and neuter noun forms známa and známé, and corresponding plural forms.

The word derives from the Czech verb znát, meaning “to know,” and carries the sense of familiarity, recognition, or public prominence depending on context. It contrasts with neznámý, meaning unknown or unfamiliar, and with zajímavý or slavným, which convey related but distinct notions of interest or fame.

In usage, the instrumental form známým frequently appears in phrases indicating association or interaction with a known person: hovořit se známým (to speak with an acquaintance), vyrazit na kávu se známým (to go for coffee with a acquaintance), or to describe someone as a známy, in contexts where formal or neutral tone is maintained. The term can also appear in set phrases and nominal compounds such as známost (familiarity, acquaintanceship).

See also: znát, neznámý, známost.