The aim of my paper is to distinguish groups of semantic motivations that have become the basis for the formation of words or word associations expressing obviousness. The study covered various European languages with particular emphasis on the Slavic languages. On the basis of the research, the following groups were distinguished: 1) knowledge and understanding; 2) sight, perception and clearness; 3) talking and adjudication; 4) nature; norm and custom; 5) consequence; 6) confidence, trust and security.

The aim of this article is a semantic and formal analysis of the name wrotycz and related names in Polish dialects against the Slavic background. The history and etymology of these names as well as their semantic motivation are presented. All names are based on the Proto‑Slavic causativum * vortiti ‘to make something spin, to turn’ due to assigning tansy a magical power that was generally meant to reverse bad things and restore good things. Everything indicates that the form * vortyčь is Proto‑Slavic, and this proves that the Slavs from ancient times treated tansy as an apotropaic plant.

In the present contribution the Beja botanical terminology is analyzed from the point of view of semantic motivation. The study is limited only to the unborrowed part of the botanical lexicon (with some exceptions), together 76 terms. First 51 terms are etymologized with help of external comparisons with probable cognates in other Cushitic or Afroasiatic languages. The last 25 terms are understandable from the point of view of internal etymology and their semantic motivation is more transparent than in the preceding cases.