Polans

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A medieval West Slavic tribe that settled the Warta river region of central Poland and gave the country its name
2. An early Slavic people living in the lands of present-day central Poland, from whom the Polish nation later developed
3. The group of early Slavic tribespeople who inhabited the plains of central Poland around the tenth century

Etymology: "Polans" is the plural of "Polan," a name for the Polans, the West Slavic people who settled the area around the Warta and Vistula river basins and gave their name to Poland. The singular "Polan" is a surname that comes from the Slavic habitational type, meaning a name taken from a place. It derives from Polyany, a place name found in Belarus and Ukraine. That place name is built on the Proto-Slavic word "poľe," meaning "field" or "clearing." Its literal sense is simply "those who live in the open land," a plain description that became a family name when people were identified by where they came from. The same root sits behind the Polish word "pole," still used today for field or open ground.