figyel

Forms

figyel^[1]

Etymology

It is a back-formation from figyelem “attention”, made in the period of the language reform: the old language had only ⟨figyelem⟩ and its derivatives figyelmez and figyelmes, not the verb.^[2][3][1][4]

The origin of ⟨figyelem⟩ itself is disputed.^[5][2] One view, preferred by ÚESz and Zaicz, takes it as a variant of fegyelem “discipline”, from ⟨fegy-⟩, a form of fedd “to rebuke”, with the suffix -elem, and old records of both words show ⟨i⟩ beside ⟨e⟩.^[5][2][3] For the link between “to pay attention” and “to rebuke” TESz and ÚESz compare Latin animadvertō (“to notice; to punish”).^[5][2][3]

The other view derives the family from fül “ear”, in its older form ⟨fil⟩: a verb ⟨*figyel⟩ “to listen” would be the twin of fülel “to prick up one's ears”.^[5] Horger explained the split by sound change: an older ⟨*fily⟩ became ⟨fil⟩ at the end of the word, but ⟨ly⟩ became ⟨gy⟩ inside it, so that ⟨*filyel⟩ gave ⟨figyel⟩, which became isolated from ⟨fül⟩ and took the wider sense “to watch”.^[6] TESz finds this weak, because the old language has no verb ⟨figyel⟩ and the suffix ⟨-elem⟩ is added only to verbs; ÚESz still does not rule it out.^[5][2] TESz rejects a link with ügyel and vigyáz, Finno-Ugric comparisons and a Mongolian derivation.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The verb is first recorded in 1808, in the infinitive figyelni, in István Sándor's Toldalék; the sense was “to pay attention to; to watch, observe”.^[2][4] The family is much older: figèlmèzenèc “(they) did not heed (me)” appears in the Vienna Codex (text written after 1416, copied about 1450).^[5][2]

Semantic evolution

Kresznerics (1831) glossed the verb with Latin attendit, observat, comparing it with ügyel “to take care”.^[7] Ballagi (1868) gave “to watch over, follow with the eyes, listen so as not to miss or forget”, with the call ide figyeljetek! “listen here!”.^[8] A Transylvanian record of 1855 has the verb with an object, “to heed every word”.^[9]

In the ÉrtSz the senses run from directing one's mind at something, and a pupil's attending in class, to watching or listening closely, observing scientifically, keeping someone under surveillance (of the police) and looking after someone.^[10]

Timeline

• 1808 – figyelni in Sándor István's Toldalék.^[2][4]
• 1831 – figyel in Kresznerics's dictionary.^[7]
• 1855 – the transitive use “to heed (every word)” in a Transylvanian text.^[9]

Meanings

Verb

1. To pay attention, to direct one's mind at someone or something for a time (with -ra/-re): Figyelj rám!^[10][1]
2. (of pupils) To follow the lesson attentively.^[10]
3. To watch, observe closely; to keep under scientific observation.^[10][1]
4. Of the police or a detective: to keep someone under surveillance.^[10]
5. To take care of, look after someone or something.^[10]

Word family

• megfigyel
• odafigyel

Related words

• figyelem
• figyelmes
• figyelmeztet
• fegyelem
• fülel

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Gerstner, Károly (ed.) (2006–), Új magyar etimológiai szótár, Budapest: Nyelvtudományi Kutatóközpont; online at uesz.nytud.hu
3. ^ a b c Zaicz, Gábor (ed.) (2006), Etimológiai szótár: magyar szavak és toldalékok eredete, Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó
4. ^ a b c Bárczi, Géza (1941), Magyar szófejtő szótár, Budapest: Királyi Magyar Egyetemi Nyomda, p. 52
5. ^ a b c d e f g Benkő, Loránd (ed.) (1967–1976), A magyar nyelv történeti-etimológiai szótára, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 1, 907
6. ^ Horger, Antal (1924), Magyar szavak története: közérdekű magyar szófejtések gyűjteménye, Budapest: Kókai, p. 63
7. ^ a b Kresznerics, Ferenc (1831–1832), Magyar szótár gyökérrenddel és deák értelmezéssel, 2 vols., Buda
8. ^ Ballagi, Mór (1867–1873), A magyar nyelv teljes szótára, 2 vols., Pest: Heckenast
9. ^ a b Szabó T., Attila (ed.) (1975–2014), Erdélyi magyar szótörténeti tár, 14 vols., Bukarest: Kriterion / Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó / Kolozsvár: Erdélyi Múzeum-Egyesület, p. 4, 110
10. ^ a b c d e f Bárczi, Géza; Országh, László (eds.) (1959–1962), A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára, 7 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online at ertelmezo.oszk.hu