Etymologically
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kap

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Pronunciation

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
  • 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