светски

Etymology

свят (svjat) + -ски (-ski). The yat (ѣ) in the pre-reform spelling свѣтъ (svět) more clearly indicates the cause in mutation from я to е: under the old orthography, this word is spelled as свѣтски, with the ѣ pronounced as /ɛ/, whereas in the stem свѣт, the yat is rendered in the Eastern dialects as /ja/. In all dialects, however, yat is pronounced as /ɛ/ with the suffix appended, even though some preserve its earlier quality of /ja/ in undeclined forms.