nawzajem (Polish)

Where does "nawzajem" come from?

The Polish adverb 'nawzajem', meaning 'each other', arose through univerbation from the phrase 'na' and 'wzajem'[1]. The first element, the preposition 'na', is an inherited word that comes directly from Old Polish 'na'[2]. Over time, these two separate components fused together into a single lexical item.

Full etymology tree

• nawzajem (Polish), 'each other'
  • compound na (Polish), 'denotes superessive position; on'
    • inherited na (Old Polish), 'denotes sublative movement; onto'
  • compound wzajem (Polish)

Sources

1. nawzajem (Polish) - Wiktionary
2. na (Polish) - Wiktionary

Updated September 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris