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Etymology and origin of the Hungarian word be

Confidence
Probable
Formation
Clipping
First attested
1372 Jókai Codex (copied about 1448)

Pronunciation

Forms

be (comparative beljebb; dialectal bé, bë)[2][3]

Etymology

It is a shortening of the adverb bele “into it”, which lost its final lative ⟨-e⟩ as el and fel did; the intermediate form ⟨bel⟩ was then shortened again.[4][5] TESz calls the way it arose disputed: besides that shortening, irregular as in other function words such as bár and lám, it records the view that it is the emphasizing interjection ⟨be⟩ “how!”, which gained its adverbial use in phrases with other adverbs.[3] ÚESz finds that link less likely.[4]

It was an adverb first and became a preverb marking movement inward, mainly with verbs of motion, like ki and meg; its use to mark completed action developed fairly late.[3][4][5] The comparative beljebb “further in” is formed from ⟨bel⟩.[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in the Jókai Codex, a text written after 1372 and copied about 1448: belteue “closed (the door)”, with be as a preverb.[4][3] The Besztercei glossary of about 1395 has beu meneth and the Schlägl glossary of about 1405 be menet, “entrance”.[4][3]

Semantic evolution

As an adverb it meant “inwards, in” from the Jókai Codex on, and “inside” from 1624.[3][4] Transylvanian records of the 16th to the 18th centuries use it for “in” (jer be “come in”), for “inside” and in the pair ki s be “in and out”.[6] The spelling bé is in Szenczi Molnár's dictionary of 1604 and survives in many dialects.[3][7][8]

In Szeged the people of the suburbs said ara be for “in the inner town”.[9] In the standard language be alone can answer a question asked with a be- verb, standing for the whole verb.[2]

Timeline

  • after 1372 – belteue in the Jókai Codex, copied about 1448.[4][3]
  • c. 1395 – beu meneth in the Besztercei glossary.[4]
  • c. 1405 – be menet in the Schlägl glossary.[4]
  • 1470 – belyeb (beljebb) “further in”.[3][4]
  • 1604 – Bé in Szenczi Molnár's dictionary.[3]
  • 1624 – “inside”.[3][4]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. in, into: towards or into the interior of something: Gyere be![2][1]
  2. From a wider place into a narrower one; from the edge of a town to its centre; from a village into a town: be a városba.[2]
  3. In elliptical commands, with the verb understood: Be a házba![2]
  4. (rare) inside.[2][4]

Preverb

  1. Forms verbs of motion or action directed inward (bemegy “to go in”, behoz “to bring in”), and verbs of covering, enclosing or completing.[2][10]
  2. Alone, as a yes-answer to a question asked with a be- verb.[2]

Word family

  • beljebb
  • befelé
  • bemegy
  • bejön
  • behoz
  • bead

Usage notes

An old exclamation be, beh “how (very)!” (be szép! “how beautiful!”), recorded from 1610, has a separate source: ÚESz and TESz take it for an onomatopoeic interjection of surprise that later became an intensifier.[3][4][5] It is literary or regional today.[2][7]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Bárczi, Géza; Országh, László (eds.) (1959–1962), A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára, 7 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online at ertelmezo.oszk.hu
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Benkő, Loránd (ed.) (1967–1976), A magyar nyelv történeti-etimológiai szótára, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 1, 263
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Gerstner, Károly (ed.) (2006–), Új magyar etimológiai szótár, Budapest: Nyelvtudományi Kutatóközpont; online at uesz.nytud.hu
  5. ^ a b c Zaicz, Gábor (ed.) (2006), Etimológiai szótár: magyar szavak és toldalékok eredete, Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó
  6. ^ Szabó T., Attila (ed.) (1975–2014), Erdélyi magyar szótörténeti tár, 14 vols., Bukarest: Kriterion / Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó / Kolozsvár: Erdélyi Múzeum-Egyesület, p. 1, 609
  7. ^ a b Csűry, Bálint (1935–1936), Szamosháti szótár, 2 vols., Budapest: Magyar Nyelvtudományi Társaság, p. 1, 64
  8. ^ Kiss, Géza (1952), Ormánysági szótár, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 32
  9. ^ Bálint, Sándor (1957), Szegedi szótár, 2 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 1, 119
  10. ^ Czuczor, Gergely; Fogarasi, János (1862–1874), A magyar nyelv szótára, 6 vols., Pest: Emich Gusztáv / Athenaeum
Cite this entry

“Be.” Etymologically, 25 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/hu/be. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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