| Official Name: | Zminec |
| Pushpin Map: | Slovenia |
| Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Slovenia |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Slovenia |
| Subdivision Type1: | Traditional region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Upper Carniola |
| Subdivision Type2: | Statistical region |
| Subdivision Name2: | Upper Carniola |
| Subdivision Type3: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name3: | Škofja Loka |
| Area Total Km2: | 4.23 |
| Population As Of: | 2016 |
| Population Total: | 517 |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Ethnicities |
| Population Blank2 Title: | Religions |
| Coordinates: | 46.145°N 14.2847°W |
| Elevation M: | 355.4 |
| Footnotes: | [1] |
Zminec (pronounced as /sl/; German: Sminz[2]) is a village on the left bank of the Poljanščica River in the Municipality of Škofja Loka in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia.
Zminec was attested in historical sources as Trachen in 1291 and 1392, Traken in 1421, and Smintzi in 1501.[3] [4] The Slovene name comes from the adjective *zmьjьnъ 'snake's, dragon's' (from the common noun *zmьjь 'snake, dragon'), as confirmed by the medieval attestations containing Middle High German trachen 'dragon'. The reason for the name is unknown, but it may be connected to the Slovene plant name zminec 'snakeshead', also derived from *zmьjь 'snake, dragon'.[4]