Ways to say it
| Serbian | Note |
|---|---|
| медвед | Cyrillic, Ekavian, masculine |
| medo | diminutive, masculine |
| медвјед | Cyrillic, Ijekavian, masculine |
| медвједица | Cyrillic, Ijekavian, feminine |
| медведица | Cyrillic, Ekavian, feminine |
| medvjed | Ijekavian, Latin, masculine |
| medved | Ekavian, Latin, masculine |
| medvjedica | Ijekavian, Latin, feminine |
| medvedica | Ekavian, Latin, feminine |
The term медвед is used in biology to refer to different species of bears. For example, mrki medvjed specifically refers to brown bears.
Which one should you use?
The standard word for the animal is medved, but the diminutive medo is often used affectionately, similar to saying 'teddy bear' or 'little bear'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The form medvjed is used in Ijekavian dialects, which are common in Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and parts of Croatia. The form medved is used in Ekavian dialects, which are standard in Serbia.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
In a sentence, the form of the word changes based on its role. The form medveda is used when the bear is the direct object, such as 'I saw a bear'. The form medvedu is used when giving something to the bear or moving towards it.
Did you know?
- While 'bear' is a common noun, the archaic root for the word suggests the animal was once considered too sacred or fearsome to name directly, leading to the euphemistic 'honey-eater' description.
- In some rural Serbian traditions, a bear is seen as a symbol of the coming spring and is linked to the ritual of 'awakening' nature.
- The word medved is derived from the Proto-Slavic roots for 'honey' and 'to know', essentially meaning 'the honey-knower'.
Examples in context
- Devojka je otvorila oči, videla medveda i pobegla kroz prozor.The girl opened her eyes, saw the bear, and fled to the window.This sentence is useful for seeing the word medved used as a direct object.Tatoeba #4246987 by Lebad, translation #4208024 by collinssuarez
- Upucao sam medveda.I shot a bear.This sentence shows the word medved in a simple statement.Tatoeba #5841794 by Lebad, translation #5840353 by CK
- Oni su slučajno čuli nekakvu sumnjivu aktivnost u šipražju što ukazuje da je medved namirisao njihovu hranu.By chance, they heard some suspicious activity in the thicket which indicated that a bear also smelled their food.This sentence shows how to use medved when describing the animal's behavior.Tatoeba #3522509 by neron, translation #3522508 by neron
- Idemo da vidimo medekaLet's go see the little bear
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Marko and Jelena are looking at a wildlife book in a cafe.
- JelenaVidi, ovaj медвед je veoma veliki.Look, this bear is very large.
- MarkoDa, taj медвед izgleda strašno.Yes, that bear looks scary.
- JelenaDa li je on još uvek u šumi?Is he still in the forest?
- MarkoVerovatno je taj медвед otišao dalje.That bear probably went further away.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bear” translations and entries medo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries medo, медвјед, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
