czechoslovakian
UK[ˌtʃɛkə(ʊ)sləˈvækɪən]US[ˌtʃɛkəsləˈvɑːkiən]
adj
relating to the former country of czechoslovakia or its people.
n
a native or inhabitant of the former country of czechoslovakia.
Morpheme Breakdown
czech
o
slovak
ian
czech
o
slovak
word
ian
belonging to
Etymology
the word czechoslovakian is a modern political compound formed in the early 20th century upon the creation of the nation of czechoslovakia. it combines the ethnonyms 'czech' and 'slovak', which refer to the two dominant slavic peoples united in the state, linked by the connective vowel 'o'. the suffix 'ian', derived from latin '-ianus', is a common english adjectival and nominal suffix denoting origin or association. thus, the term literally means "of or pertaining to the czechs and slovaks," encapsulating the binational character of the former country in its very morphology.
Analysis
Structure: czech + o + slovak + ian
- czech: from the name of the czech people, ultimately from a slavic tribal name.
- o: a connective vowel used in forming compound words.
- slovak: from the name of the slovak people, from a slavic root meaning "word" or "glory".
- ian: a suffix of latin origin forming adjectives and nouns meaning "belonging to" or "relating to".
Examples
the czechoslovakian government was formed after world war i.
she collects stamps from the czechoslovakian era.
my grandfather was a czechoslovakian who emigrated in 1968.