sedam (Serbo-Croatian)
Where does "sedam" come from?
The Serbo-Croatian word 'sedam' traces its origins back to the Proto-Indo-European root '*septḿ̥', meaning 'seven'. It evolved into the Proto-Slavic '*sedmь' before eventually reaching its modern form. This ancient number likely served as a cross-cultural 'word of migration,' with historians suggesting it may have been exchanged through early contact between Indo-European and Semitic peoples in the ancient Near East.
Full etymology tree
- sedam (Serbo-Croatian), 'seven (7)'
- inherited *sedmь (Proto-Slavic), 'seven'
- inherited *sebdmъ (Proto-Slavic)
- inherited *septm̥mós (Proto-Indo-European), 'seventh'
- inherited *septḿ̥ (Proto-Indo-European), 'seven'
- borrowed *šabʕ- (Proto-Semitic), 'seven'
- inherited *sṗɣ (Proto-Afroasiatic)
- borrowed *šabʕ- (Proto-Semitic), 'seven'
- inherited *septḿ̥ (Proto-Indo-European), 'seven'
- inherited *septm̥mós (Proto-Indo-European), 'seventh'
- inherited *sebdmъ (Proto-Slavic)
- inherited *sedmь (Proto-Slavic), 'seven'
Ancestors
- *sedmь (Proto-Slavic)
- *septḿ̥ (Proto-Indo-European)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris