Dzep

Džep exists because Serbian toponymy preserves Ottoman-era terminology—and because 'džep' (pocket, from Turkish 'cep') describes terrain that settlers found characteristically enclosed. Such names typically mark valleys, hollows, or protected spaces that reminded observers of pockets: sheltered, contained, distinct from surrounding landscape.

The Turkish linguistic layer in Serbian place names reflects 423 years of Ottoman rule (1459–1804 for core Serbia). Administrative terms, landscape features, and domestic vocabulary entered Serbian and crystallized in toponyms that persist centuries after the empire's retreat. 'Džep' joins 'sokak' (street), 'mahala' (neighborhood), and hundreds of other Ottoman-derived terms in the Serbian lexicon of place.

Without specific census data or historical documentation surfacing in searches, Džep represents the Serbian villages that exist in linguistic archaeology—places whose names preserve an Ottoman worldview even as their populations follow post-Ottoman demographic trajectories. By 2026, whether Džep grows or shrinks depends on factors unrelated to its etymology: proximity to employment, agricultural viability, and the decisions of young people about whether to stay or leave.