OD GEOMETRIJSKOG OBLIKA DO UNIVERZALNOG SIMBOLA: ETIMOLOGIJA, SEMANTIČKI RAZVOJ I KULTURNA SIMBOLIKA REČI KRUG
Željko Stanojević
Institute for Hebrew Language and Literature, Belgrade
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-0717-6184
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17613/74qtm-j9686
Abstract
This review study examines the etymology, semantic development, and cultural symbolism of the Serbian word krug (“circle”), tracing its origins from Proto-Slavic krǫgъ and exploring its broader Indo-European background. Drawing upon historical linguistics, etymological lexicography, cognitive semantics, philosophy, anthropology, religious studies, and cultural history, the article investigates how a term originally denoting a circular or ring-shaped form developed into one of the most productive symbolic concepts in human culture.
Particular attention is devoted to the distinction between the etymological history of the word and the later symbolic history of the circular form. The study analyzes the evidence of major Slavic etymological dictionaries, including Derksen, Vasmer, Snoj, and Trubačov, as well as comparative Indo-European materials relevant to the semantic fields of curvature, circularity, turning, and rotation.
The article further examines the development of the concept of the circle in language, religion, philosophy, art, and traditional culture. Special emphasis is placed on metaphorical extensions such as social circles, cyclical processes, ritual spaces, and symbolic representations of unity, perfection, eternity, and cosmic order.
The analysis demonstrates that the earliest meaning of the term referred to a circular or ring-like object, while many later philosophical, religious, and artistic interpretations emerged as secondary cultural developments. More broadly, the study contributes to ongoing discussions in historical linguistics, semantic change, symbolic anthropology, cultural history, and cognitive approaches to language.
Keywords
circle; krug; Proto-Slavic; etymology; Indo-European linguistics; semantics; symbolism; cognitive linguistics; cultural history; Slavic studies; anthropology; philosophy of symbols
Apstrakt
Ovaj pregledni rad analizira etimologiju, semantički razvoj i kulturnu simboliku reči krug, prateći njeno poreklo od praslovenskog oblika krǫgъ i razmatrajući njenu širu indoevropsku pozadinu. Oslanjajući se na istorijsku lingvistiku, etimološku leksikografiju, kognitivnu semantiku, filozofiju, antropologiju, religiologiju i kulturnu istoriju, rad istražuje kako se pojam koji je prvobitno označavao kružnu ili prstenastu formu razvio u jedan od najproduktivnijih simboličkih koncepata ljudske kulture.
Posebna pažnja posvećena je razlikovanju etimološke istorije reči od kasnije simboličke istorije kružne forme. U radu su analizirani podaci vodećih slovenskih etimoloških rečnika, uključujući Derksena, Fasmera, Snoja i Trubačova, kao i relevantna indoevropska poređenja povezana sa semantičkim poljima zakrivljenosti, kružnosti, okretanja i rotacije.
Rad dalje razmatra razvoj pojma kruga u jeziku, religiji, filozofiji, umetnosti i tradicionalnoj kulturi. Poseban naglasak stavljen je na metaforička proširenja kao što su društveni krugovi, ciklični procesi, ritualni prostori i simboličke predstave jedinstva, savršenstva, večnosti i kosmičkog poretka.
Analiza pokazuje da je najstariji sloj značenja bio povezan sa kružnim ili prstenastim predmetom, dok su brojna filozofska, religijska i umetnička tumačenja nastala kao sekundarni kulturni razvoj. Rad istovremeno doprinosi istraživanjima iz oblasti istorijske lingvistike, semantičkih promena, simboličke antropologije, kulturne istorije i kognitivnih pristupa jeziku.
Ključne reči
krug; etimologija; praslovenski jezik; indoevropska lingvistika; semantika; simbolika; kognitivna lingvistika; kulturna istorija; slovenske studije; antropologija; filozofija simbola
Full Text and Repository Links
HCommons Repository Version
https://works.hcommons.org/records/74qtm-j9686
Academia.edu Version
Description
The present study offers a comprehensive linguistic, etymological, semantic, and cultural analysis of the word krug (“circle”). Beginning with its Proto-Slavic reconstruction krǫgъ, the article surveys major etymological interpretations, examines semantic developments across Slavic languages, and investigates broader Indo-European parallels.
The study further explores the transformation of the circle from a concrete geometric and physical form into one of the most enduring symbols of human civilization. Particular attention is devoted to the role of circular imagery in philosophy, religion, art, anthropology, folk traditions, and cognitive models of thought.
Rather than proposing a new etymology, the article synthesizes existing linguistic and cultural scholarship in order to provide an interdisciplinary overview of one of the most influential concepts in human intellectual history.
Research Areas
Historical Linguistics; Slavic Studies; Etymology; Semantics; Cognitive Linguistics; Cultural History; Anthropology; Symbol Studies; Philosophy; Religious Studies
Citation
Stanojević, Željko.
Od geometrijskog oblika do univerzalnog simbola: etimologija, semantički razvoj i kulturna simbolika reči krug.
Belgrade: Institute for Hebrew Language and Literature, 2026.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17613/74qtm-j9686
Related Work
Stanojević, Ž., Balović, S. and Polić, O.
Srpski u džepu: gramatika.
Beograd: Divit, 2001.
Additional Information
Language: Serbian
Type: Review Article
Primary Topics: Etymology; Circle Symbolism; Proto-Slavic Linguistics; Semantic Development; Cultural History; Slavic Studies; Cognitive Linguistics