kér

Forms

kér^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Uralic *kerä- (“to ask, to request”), one of the words Hungarian inherited from the Finno-Ugric period.^{[2][3][4][5][1]} The related verbs are Komi-Zyrian kor- (“to ask, demand, invite”), Udmurt kur- (“to ask, implore”) and Finnish kerjätä (“to beg”), with Finnish kerätä (“to collect”).^[3][2][4] TESz and the MSzFE note that the ⟨j⟩ of the Finnish verb makes its place here uncertain;^[2][5] TESz reconstructs *kerɜ, or *ker(j)ä- if the Finnish word belongs here.^[2][5] The Finnish verb passed into Sami, Northern Sami gearjidit (“to beg”).^[5][1]

TESz thinks an Altaic connection of the family probable, and the MSzFE records the comparison with Yakut and Nanai verbs meaning “to ask” and “to call”.^[2][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The earliest records are doubtful personal names, Kerehu of 1138 in a copy of 1329 and Kyreu of 1211, which would be the derivative kérő; ÚESz adds Kerew of 1164, known from a later copy.^[2][3][4] The verb itself first appears as Querie, about 1350 according to TESz and early in the 13th century according to ÚESz.^[2][3][4] In the Jókai Codex, a text written after 1372 and copied about 1448, it already has the senses “to express a wish, to ask for”, “to beg for” and “to ask someone to do something”.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

TESz takes the first four senses, “to wish”, “to beg”, “to request” and “to ask in marriage”, for the inherited ones;^[2][3][4] “to demand” (copied about 1450), “to pray” (copied 1466) and “to bid someone somewhere” (1536) arose by narrowing.^[2][3][4] The marriage sense is in the Besztercei word list of about 1395, in lean kerew “suitor”, literally “girl-asker”.^[2][3] ÚESz adds “to buy” from 1649.^[3]

The family is large: kérés and kérelem “request” are in the Jókai Codex, kéretezik in the Vienna Codex, kérlel “to plead with” and kérlelhetetlen “implacable” from about 1456.^[2][3] kéredzkedik “to ask leave” is from 1709.^[3][4] The language reform added kérelmez “to petition” (1834, a word of Mihály Helmeczy) and kérvény “petition” (1842, probably Sándor Kisfaludy's).^[2][3][4] TESz also relates kérd, keres, kereskedik and kérkedik.^[2][5]

The first person kérem “please” was heard so often that it passed into Slovak as kírem, recorded from 1830, though it never fully settled there.^[6]

Timeline

• 1138 – ? Kerehu, a personal name (copy of 1329).^[2][3]
• 1164 – Kerew, a personal name, in a later copy.^[3]
• 1211 – ? Kyreu, a personal name.^[2][3]
• c. 1350 – Querie, the first record of the verb (ÚESz: early 13th century).^[2][3]
• c. 1395 – lean kerew “suitor” in the Besztercei word list.^[2][3]
• c. 1448 – “to ask for”, “to beg”, and kérés, kérelem, in the Jókai Codex (a text written after 1372).^[2][3]
• c. 1450 – “to demand”, in the Vienna Codex.^[2][3]
• c. 1456 – kérlelhetetlen.^[2][3]
• 1466 – “to pray” in the Munich Codex.^[2][3]
• 1536 – “to bid someone come somewhere”.^[2][3]
• 1649 – “to buy”.^[3]
• 1709 – kéredzkedik.^[3][4]
• 1830 – Slovak kírem “please”, from kérem.^[6]
• 1834 – kérelmez.^[3][4]
• 1842 – kérvény.^[3]

Meanings

Verb

1. To ask for, to request politely that one be given something or allowed to do something; the person asked takes -tól/-től: Kért tőlem egy tollat.^[7][1]
2. To ask someone to do something, with -ra/-re: Arra kérlek, várj meg.^[1][2]
3. (religion) To pray for something.^[7]
4. To ask for a share of something, to want some: Kérsz kávét?^[7][1]
5. To apply for something in writing or officially; to demand or order something officially.^[7]
6. Of a buyer, to ask for goods; of a seller, to ask a price: Mennyit kér a biciklijéért?^[7]
7. megkér, feleségül kér: to ask a woman to marry, to propose.^[2][8]
8. To ask to see a ticket or papers.^[7]

Word family

• kérd
• kéreget
• kérelem
• kéret
• kéretlen
• kérés
• kérhető
• kérkedik
• kérvény
• kérő
• kérlel
• kérelmez

Related words

• kérdez
• keres
• kéreg

Usage notes

Kérem is used as “please” and as a polite address.^[6] The name of the Hungarian tribe Kér, recorded by Constantine Porphyrogenitus as Ancient Greek Καρή (Karḗ), is not this verb: ÚESz thinks it may belong to kér “bark”, the base of kéreg, while Németh derived it from a Turkic word for “giant”.^[3][9]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g 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 s t u v w x y Benkő, Loránd (ed.) (1967–1976), A magyar nyelv történeti-etimológiai szótára, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 2, 452
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 27 Gerstner, Károly (ed.) (2006–), Új magyar etimológiai szótár, Budapest: Nyelvtudományi Kutatóközpont; online at uesz.nytud.hu
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Zaicz, Gábor (ed.) (2006), Etimológiai szótár: magyar szavak és toldalékok eredete, Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó
5. ^ a b c d e f Lakó, György (ed.) (1967–1978), A magyar szókészlet finnugor elemei, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 2, 352
6. ^ a b c Gregor, Ferenc (2023), A szlovák nyelv magyar elemei, ed. András Zoltán, Budapest: Kairosz, p. 508
7. ^ 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
8. ^ Bálint, Sándor (1957), Szegedi szótár, 2 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 1, 720
9. ^ Gyóni, Mátyás (1943), A magyar nyelv görög feljegyzéses szórványemlékei, Budapest (Magyar–görög tanulmányok 23), p. 66