Etymologically
Log in

ide

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 25 October 2026 at 22:28. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

Forms

ide (comparative idébb)[2]

Etymology

It is a case form that became fixed: the demonstrative ez “this” with the lative suffix ⟨-é⟩, later ⟨-e⟩.[3][4][5][6] The initial vowel of the base was originally /i/, and it probably opened to /ë/ already in Proto-Hungarian;[4][5][3] TESz leaves open whether the alternation goes back to the parent language or arose in Hungarian.[4][5][3] The ⟨d⟩ between vowels is that of eddig, and of büdös and édes;[4][3] TESz takes it for a pronoun suffix of Finno-Ugric origin.[4][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first records are in the Jókai Codex, copied about 1448 from a text written after 1372: ky vagy te Es kytewl yewtel yde, “who are you, and on whose behalf have you come here”, in the sense “hither, to this place”.[3][4]

Semantic evolution

First an adverb of place, ide came to be used of time and of state, and later as a verbal prefix (idejön, idead).[3][4][5] The sense “here” (place where, not place to which) is recorded in the Guary Codex (before 1495) and in Pesti's word list of 1538; it is like felé and messze.[3][4] The comparative idébb “closer this way” is in the Guary Codex too, and idáig “so far, up to here” from 1784, with its ⟨á⟩ probably after oda and odáig.[3][4][5]

Old and dialect forms include ede (about 1456), ewde (1559), ëde and idi.[3][4]

Timeline

  • c. 1448 – yde “hither” in the Jókai Codex (text written after 1372).[3][4]
  • c. 1450 – idè in the Vienna Codex.[3][4]
  • before 1495 – “here” and the comparative edeb in the Guary Codex.[3][4]
  • 1538 – “here” in Pesti's word list.[3]
  • 1784 – idáig “so far”.[3][4]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. here, hither: to this place, where the speaker is: Gyere ide![2][1]
  2. To this house, town or country: Tavaly költöztünk ide.[2]
  3. To the place pointed at: Ide tedd le![2]
  4. In commands, “give it here”: Add ide![2]

Word family

  • idáig
  • idébb

Usage notes

As a verbal prefix it is written together with the verb (idejön, idehív), and the set phrase se ide, se oda means “neither here nor there”.[2][7]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Benkő, Loránd (ed.) (1967–1976), A magyar nyelv történeti-etimológiai szótára, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 2, 184
  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 d e Zaicz, Gábor (ed.) (2006), Etimológiai szótár: magyar szavak és toldalékok eredete, Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó
  6. ^ Benkő, Loránd (ed.) (1993–1997), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Ungarischen, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 643
  7. ^ B. Lőrinczy, Éva (ed.) (1979–2010), Új magyar tájszótár, 5 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó