kap

Forms

kap^[1]

Etymology

It is probably an onomatopoeic word, first imitating the sound of a mouth snapping shut.^{[2][3][4][5][1]} It is closely tied to the family of koppant and kopog; the verbs of that family may even be derived from it.^[3][5] TESz thinks the verb may continue the old onomatopoeic stem without a suffix, since a Finno-Ugric origin of these verbs is possible.^[2]

Other Finno-Ugric languages have similar imitative words: a Mansi word for a knocking noise, Udmurt kopi̮lt- (“to snatch greedily with the mouth”), Finnish kopista (“to knock”) and Finnish koppo- (“to grab, snatch”); a link with them cannot be ruled out, but it cannot be proved.^[3][5] The vowel ⟨o⟩ survives in dialect forms of the verb and in koplal, kopó and kopoltyú.^[2] TESz rejects other Finno-Ugric comparisons and a Turkic origin.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Personal names Copou (1237) and Kapou (about 1293) may belong here, but are uncertain.^[3][2] The first sure record is in the Czech Codex of 1513, nyak kapaasokon, “by catching them by the neck”, in the sense “to seize with a sudden movement”.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

TESz derives all the senses from the first, “to snap at something with open mouth, seize”.^[2] The sense “to get, receive”, the commonest today, is recorded from 1527 in the Érdy Codex, together with kap valamin “to seize an opportunity eagerly”.^[2][3] Many later senses were formed with prefixes or in set phrases: elkap “to overcome” (1531), összekap “to quarrel” (1566), rajtakap “to catch in the act” (1585), lábra kap “to recover; to come into fashion” (1613), belekap “to start on something” (1616), lekap “to snap, photograph” (1832), kikap “to get a beating” (1842).^[2][3]

The phrase kapóra jön “to come just at the right time” is recorded from 1870, and kapásból “offhand, without thinking” from 1887.^[2][3][4] In the dialects kap also means “to find”.^[6][1]

Timeline

• 1513 – kapaasokon “by seizing” in the Czech Codex.^[2][3]
• 1527 – “to get, receive”; also kapdoz “to snatch repeatedly”, in the Érdy Codex.^[2][3]
• 1553 – kapdos in Tinódi.^[2][4]
• 1585 – “to catch in the act”.^[2]
• c. 1660 – kapat “to have seized”.^[2][4]
• 1768 – kapkod “to snatch, hurry”.^[2][4]
• 1776 – kapós “greedy”;^[2][4] kikapós “flirtatious”.^[2][4]
• 1870 – kapóra jön “to come in handy”.^[3][4]
• 1887 – kapásból “offhand”.^[2][4]

Meanings

Verb

1. To get, receive: to be given something: Születésnapjára könyvet kapott.^[7][1]
2. To get something as pay or a price: Mennyit kapsz ezért a munkáért?^[7]
3. To receive a reward, punishment or chance: két év börtönt kapott.^[7]
4. To catch an illness, or be hit: náthát kap.^[7]
5. To snatch, grab at (with -hoz/-hez, -ba/-be, után): A fejéhez kapott.^[7][1]
6. (dialectal) To find.^[1][6]

Word family

• kapat
• kapdos
• kapható
• kapkod
• kapás
• kapós
• kikapós
• elkap
• rajtakap

Related words

• koppant
• kopog
• koplal
• kopó

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 Benkő, Loránd (ed.) (1967–1976), A magyar nyelv történeti-etimológiai szótára, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 2, 354
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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 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. 729
6. ^ a b B. Lőrinczy, Éva (ed.) (1979–2010), Új magyar tájszótár, 5 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó
7. ^ a b c d e Bárczi, Géza; Országh, László (eds.) (1959–1962), A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára, 7 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online at ertelmezo.oszk.hu