ztrát

Ztrát is a Czech noun related to loss, damage, or disadvantage. The standard, nominative form is ztráta; the sequence ztrát appears in inflected forms (such as ztráty, ztrátě, ztrátu, ztrátou) and may be encountered in non-diacritic writing. The word originates from the verb ztratit, meaning to lose.

In economics and accounting, ztráta denotes a financial loss or negative earnings, or a shortfall relative to costs and expectations. It is commonly contrasted with zisk, meaning profit or gain. For example, a company may report a ztráta ve výši určité částky (a loss of a certain amount).

In statistics, data science, and machine learning, the term ztráta (often expressed as ztrátová funkce) refers to a numerical measure of error or discrepancy between predicted values and true values. The objective in model training is typically to minimize this ztráta, thereby improving predictive accuracy. Common examples include mean squared error or cross-entropy as specific forms of ztrátová funkce.

In everyday language, ztráta can describe the loss of time, resources, or opportunities. Phrases such as ztráta času (loss of time) or ztráta energie (loss of energy) are used to express waste or wastefulness, while broader statements can refer to social, personal, or material losses.

See also: zisk (profit), ztrátová funkce (loss function), means of measuring and reporting ztráty in finance and statistics.