este

Forms

este^[1] The old and dialect form estve was long in use beside este; the dialects also have estë, esve and östö.^[2][3][1]

Etymology

It is a fixed case form of the noun est (“evening”), itself from Hungarian esik (“to fall”) + -t.^[3][2][4][1] The verb esik goes back to Proto-Uralic *ećɜ- (“to fall”).^[1]

The sources explain the ending in different ways: TESz takes the word from the old temporal form Old Hungarian estvel, the noun with the instrumental suffix -vel, as in reggel and tavasszal: the final /l/ was lost and then the /v/, giving estve and then the present form, as körte comes from ⟨körtve⟩.^[3][1] ÚESz and EWUng see in it the lative suffix ⟨-é⟩, which would make the adverb the older use; or else the possessive suffix of the third person, as in phrases for “on the evening of Easter Day” (about 1519) and “in the evening” (1584), which would make the noun the older.^[2][5][4] In this view the variant with /v/ arose under the influence of estvély, itself formed with the instrumental suffix.^[2][5]

The link with “to fall” is the setting of the sun: Old Hungarian named the sunset with derivatives of the verb, such as Old Hungarian eset (“sunset”) (1506).^[3][2] TESz holds that the noun broke away from compounds such as napest (“sunset”), while ÚESz finds this unconvincing.^[3][2] The word first meant the sunset, and became the name of the time of day in phrases with the terminative and instrumental suffixes.^[3][2]

TESz rejects the analysis of the old form as a compound of the noun and a Finno-Ugric word for “time” or “light”, and the Finno-Ugric and Indo-Iranian comparisons of the word.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The adverb is first recorded in the Jókai Codex, about 1448, copied from a text written after 1372: hiva Szent Ferencet, hogy estve vele ennék, “he invited Saint Francis to eat with him in the evening”.^[3][2] There the word is an adverb, “in the evening, after sunset”.^[3][2]

Semantic evolution

The noun, “the time of day after sunset”, is recorded by TESz from the Schlägl glossary of about 1405 (eſtuel), which ÚESz assigns to estvély instead; ÚESz dates the noun from the Munich Codex.^[3][2] The glossaries have estve for Latin vesper and sero.^[7]

The figurative “evening of life” appears in 1618 in Szenczi Molnár, and “an evening gathering” in 1832 in Fáy; the second is now usually the noun est.^[3][8] The noun also names the eve of a feast: karácsony estéje “Christmas Eve”, Luca estéje “St Lucy's Eve”.^[9][10]

The derivatives esteli “of the evening” (about 1450), estveheszik “to grow dusk” (1466) and esteledik “to become evening” (about 1493) followed in the codices.^[3][2] From est come esti (about 1450) and estike, the name of the night-scented stock, which Csokonai spread about 1797, either coining it for Latin Hesperis or taking it from folk speech.^[3][2]

Timeline

• c. 1405 – eſtuel “evening” in the Schlägl glossary, which TESz takes for the noun and ÚESz for estvély.^[3][2]
• c. 1448 – eſtue “in the evening” in the Jókai Codex (copy of a text written after 1372).^[3][2]
• c. 1450 – èſti “of the evening” in the Vienna Codex.^[3][2]
• 1466 – the noun “evening” in the Munich Codex.^[2][5]
• c. 1493 – meg estweledyk “it becomes evening” in the Festetics Codex.^[3][2]
• 1618 – “the last part of life” in Szenczi Molnár.^[3]
• c. 1797 – estike “night-scented stock”, spread by Csokonai.^[3][2]
• 1832 – “an evening gathering” in Fáy.^[3]

Meanings

Adverb

1. In the evening, after sunset and before the night: este nyolckor “at eight in the evening”.^[8][1]
2. This evening; with the article, az este, last night, yesterday evening.^[8][9]

Noun

1. Evening, the part of the day from dusk until night: jó estét “good evening”.^[8][1]
2. An evening event, an evening programme.^[8]
3. The eve of a feast or name day: szenteste “Christmas Eve”.^[8][9]
4. (figurative) The evening of life, old age.^[8][3]

Word family

• esteledik
• estike

Related words

• est
• esik
• estély

Usage notes

The ÉrtSz lists a second este, the possessive form of the verbal noun of esik, meaning “his or its fall, downfall”;^[8][1] Wiktionary gives the same sense.^[8][1] The proverb este virágzik a tök “the pumpkin flowers in the evening” is said of someone who dresses up only at nightfall.^[9][10]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Gerstner, Károly (ed.) (2006–), Új magyar etimológiai szótár, Budapest: Nyelvtudományi Kutatóközpont; online at uesz.nytud.hu
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Benkő, Loránd (ed.) (1967–1976), A magyar nyelv történeti-etimológiai szótára, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 1, 797
4. ^ a b Zaicz, Gábor (ed.) (2006), Etimológiai szótár: magyar szavak és toldalékok eredete, Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó
5. ^ a b c Benkő, Loránd (ed.) (1993–1997), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Ungarischen, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 384
6. ^ Benkő, Loránd (ed.) (1967–1976), A magyar nyelv történeti-etimológiai szótára, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 1, 798
7. ^ Berrár, Jolán; Károly, Sándor (1984), Régi magyar glosszárium: szótárak, szójegyzékek és glosszák egyesített szótára, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 203
8. ^ 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
9. ^ a b c d Bálint, Sándor (1957), Szegedi szótár, 2 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 1, 386
10. ^ a b Csűry, Bálint (1935–1936), Szamosháti szótár, 2 vols., Budapest: Magyar Nyelvtudományi Társaság, p. 1, 244