Editing Slovakia (section)

== Etymology ==
{{see also|Slovaks#Name}}

Slovakia's name means the "Land of the [[Slavs]]" ({{lang|sk|[[Slovensko]]}} in [[Slovak language|Slovak]] stemming from the older form {{lang|sla|Sloven/Slovienin}}). As such, it is a cognate of the words [[Slovenia]] and [[Slavonia]]. In medieval Latin, German, and even some Slavic sources, the same name has often been used for Slovaks, Slovenes, Slavonians, and Slavs in general. According to one of the theories, a new form of national name formed for the ancestors of the Slovaks between the 13th and 14th century, possibly due to foreign influence; the [[Czech language|Czech]] word {{lang|cs|Slovák}} (in medieval sources from 1291 onward).<ref name="ReferenceA">UHLÁR, V.: O pôvode názvov Slovák, Slovensko a slovenčina</ref> This form slowly replaced the name for the male members of the community, but the female name ({{lang|sk|Slovenka}}), reference to the lands inhabited ({{lang|sk|Slovensko}}) and the name of the language ({{lang|sk|slovenčina}}) all remained the same, with their base in the older form (compare to Slovenian counterparts). Most foreign translations tend to stem from this newer form (''Slovakia'' in English, {{lang|de|Slowakei}} in German, {{lang|fr|Slovaquie}} in French, etc.).

In medieval Latin sources, terms: {{lang|la-x-medieval|Slavus}}, {{lang|la-x-medieval|Slavonia}}, or {{lang|la-x-medieval|Slavorum}} (and more variants, from as early as 1029)<ref name="ReferenceA"/> have been used. In German sources, names for the Slovak lands were {{lang|de|Windenland}} or {{lang|de|Windische Lande}} (early 15th century),<ref>{{cite book |last1=Papasonov |first1=Mária |last2=Šmahel |first2=František |last3=Dvořáková |first3=Daniela |first4=Ulrich |last4=Richental |title=Kostnická kronika. |location=Budmerice |publisher=Vydavateľstvo Rak |year=2009 |isbn=978-808550142-1}}.</ref> with the forms ''Slovakia'' and {{lang|de|Schlowakei}} starting to appear in the 16th century.<ref>Uličný, Ferdinand (2014). "Toponymum Slovensko – pôvod a obsah názvu" [The name Slovakia (Slovensko) – its origin and content]. Historický časopis. Historický ústav SAV (3): 548. ISSN 0018-2575.</ref> The present Slovak form {{lang|sk|Slovensko}} is first attested in the year 1675.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.juls.savba.sk/ediela/ks/1992/8/ks1992-8.pdf |title=Výrazová a významová diferenciácia a vznik nových pomenovaní |work=Kultúra Slova |access-date=19 August 2021 |archive-date=4 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210804154029/https://www.juls.savba.sk/ediela/ks/1992/8/ks1992-8.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>