From Late Latinsclavus or Sclavus, from Byzantine Greekσκλάβος(sklábos, “Slav”) or Σκλάβος(Sklábos), probably from earlier Σλαβῆνος(Slabênos), from plural Σλαβῆνοι(Slabênoi), from Proto-Slavic*slověninъ. Compare Aromanianshcljau. The Romanian word seems to have preserved the original ancient ethnic meaning before it took on the sense of "slave" later on, which is the meaning found in the other Romance language descendants of the word, such as Italianschiavo. See also the borrowed neologism sclav, from the same source, and also slav. [1] Has also become a surname in Romanian.