This article deals with the etymology of three Polish words: przyzwoity, wyśmienity and rubaszny. All three should probably be considered native formations. Przyzwoity (in the older version przywoity, also przyzwoisty) in genetic terms should probably be combined with the verb wić: *przy‑wić > * przy‑wój > * prz‑woj‑ity. Wyśmienity – according to A. Brückner's hypothesis – derives from the hypothetical preform of pol. * wyśmień ‘height’. Rubaszny, on the other hand, is also the result of native derivational processes and derives from the Polish adjective gruby in the sense of undelicate, simple, unsophisticated, uncouth, coarse, rude’: * (g)ruby > * (g)rubacha > * (g)rubaszny.

Obituary of a famous philologist, linguist, Slavicist, retired professor of the Jagiellonian University. The exposé of his personality and also his scientific, didactical, and organizational achievements.