Editing Croatia (section)

== Etymology ==
{{main|Names of the Croats and Croatia}}
Croatia's [[Endonym and exonym|non-native]] [[Names of the Croats and Croatia|name]] derives from [[Medieval Latin]] {{lang|la-x-medieval|Croātia}}, itself a derivation of [[West Slavic languages|North-West Slavic]] {{lang|zlw|*Xərwate}}, by [[Slavic liquid metathesis and pleophony|liquid metathesis]] from Common Slavic period ''*Xorvat'', from proposed [[Proto-Slavic language|Proto-Slavic]] ''[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/xъrvatъ|*Xъrvátъ]]'' which possibly comes from the 3rd-century [[Scythian languages|Scytho-Sarmatian]] form attested in the [[Tanais Tablets]] as {{lang|grc|Χοροάθος|italic=no}} (''{{lang|grc-latn|Khoroáthos}}'', alternate forms comprise {{Lang|grc-latn|Khoróatos}} and ''{{lang|grc-latn|Khoroúathos}}'').<ref name="Gluhak-1993">{{cite book|first=Alemko|last=Gluhak|title=Hrvatski etimološki rječnik|trans-title=Croatian Etymological Dictionary|language=hr|publisher=August Cesarec|year=1993|isbn=953-162-000-8}}</ref> The origin of the ethnonym is uncertain, but most probably is from [[Ossetian language|Proto-Ossetian]] / [[Scythian languages#Alanian|Alanian]] *''xurvæt-'' or *''xurvāt-'', in the meaning of "one who guards" ("guardian, protector").<ref>{{citation |first=Ranko |last=Matasović |author-link=Ranko Matasović |title=Ime Hrvata |trans-title=The Name of Croats |journal=Jezik (Croatian Philological Society) |location=Zagreb |year=2019 |volume=66 |issue=3 |pages=81–97 |url=https://hrcak.srce.hr/228825?lang=en |language=hr}}</ref>

The oldest preserved record of the Croatian ethnonym's native variation ''*xъrvatъ'' is of the variable stem, attested in the [[Baška tablet]] in [[Style (form of address)|style]] zvъnъmirъ kralъ xrъvatъskъ ("[[Demetrius Zvonimir of Croatia|Zvonimir]], [[List of rulers of Croatia|Croatian king]]"),<ref name="Fučić-1971">{{cite journal |url=http://hrcak.srce.hr/index.php?show=clanak&id_clanak_jezik=21348 |first=Branko | last = Fučić | author-link = Branko Fučić |title=Najstariji hrvatski glagoljski natpisi |trans-title=The Oldest Croatian Glagolitic Inscriptions |journal=[[Slovo (Zagreb)|Slovo]] |publisher=[[Old Church Slavonic Institute]] |volume=21 |date=September 1971 |language=hr |pages=227–254 |access-date=14 October 2011}}</ref> while the Latin variation ''Croatorum'' is archaeologically confirmed on a church inscription found in [[Bijaći]] near [[Trogir]] dated to the end of the 8th or early 9th century.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Kulturna kronika: Dvanaest hrvatskih stoljeća |url=http://www.matica.hr/vijenac/291/hrvatski-nacionalni-dan-na-expou-u-japanu-9037/ |journal=[[Vijenac]] |publisher=[[Matica hrvatska]] |location=Zagreb |issue=291 |date=28 April 2005 |access-date=10 June 2019 |language=hr}}</ref> The presumably oldest stone [[Epigraphy|inscription]] with fully preserved ethnonym is the 9th-century [[Branimir inscription]] found near [[Benkovac]], where Duke [[Branimir of Croatia|Branimir]] is styled ''Dux Cruatorvm'', likely dated between 879 and 892, during his rule.{{sfn|Mužić|2007|p=|pp=195–198}} The Latin term ''{{Lang|la|Chroatorum}}'' is attributed to a charter of Duke [[Trpimir I of Croatia]], dated to 852 in a 1568 copy of a lost original, but it is not certain if the original was indeed older than the Branimir inscription.{{sfn|Mužić|2007|p=27}}{{Sfn|Mužić|2007|p=171}}