lát

Forms

lát^[1]

Etymology

It is probably inherited from Proto-Uralic *lᴕttɜ- (“to see”), one of the words Hungarian inherited from the Uralic period.^[2][3][4][1] The only proposed cognates are in the Samoyedic languages: Tundra Nenets letampā- (“to guard, protect, keep”) and an Enets verb meaning “to pay attention”.^[2][3] Uralic /tt/ became Hungarian /t/, as in hat;^[3] the long /aː/ may be secondary.^[2]

The comparison is weakened by the fact that the cognates are found only in the most distant related languages.^[2][3][4] The difference between “to see” and “to guard, watch” has parallels: Hungarian véd “to protect” beside Komi-Zyrian vidlini (“to see, look”), and vigyáz “to watch, take care” beside an Estonian verb meaning “to watch secretly”.^[4] Latin models may have helped some of the transferred senses.^[2] Budenz had compared Finnish loistaa (“to shine”), taking “to shine” as the older meaning.^[5]

As the first part of compounds, ⟨lát-⟩ “sight-, visual” copies compounds in German Seh- and Schau-, such as Sehrohr, in the words of the language reform: láthatár “horizon” (1786), látcső “telescope” (1807), látkör “horizon”, látlelet “medical report” (1838) and látkép “view, panorama” (1851).^[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The verb is in the Funeral Sermon and Prayer of the end of the 12th century: Latiatuc feleym zumtuchel, in modern spelling Látjátok, feleim, szemetekkel “You see, my brethren, with your eyes”; the sense is “to see”.^[2][6][3]

Semantic evolution

EWUng lists the senses in order of record: with meg- “to visit” and vmi után lát “to look after something” after 1372;^[2] “to learn, understand” and “to pay attention” in the early 15th century;^[2] “to examine” in 1504;^[2] “to consider (as)” about 1512;^[2] “to set about (a task)” in 1515;^[2] “to receive, treat (a guest)” in 1523;^[2] “to experience” in 1527; and “to grant someone something” in 1574.^[2]

The old derivatives látó and látomás are first personal names, both in 1211;^[2][3] látomás means “vision” from 1595 and látó “prophet” from 1565.^[2][3] Látszik “to be seen, to seem” follows after 1416, látszat “appearance” in 1723, látvány “sight, spectacle” in 1754, látnok “seer” before 1815 and láttamoz “to endorse” in 1818.^[3]

The dialects keep older or local senses: “to look” among the Moldavian Csángós, “to inspect officially” in the Székely land, “to provide for” in Csongrád, and “to prepare (a meal)” along the Drava.^[7] In Szeged the verb also means “to receive (guests)” and “to set about (work)”.^[8]

Timeline

• c. 1195 – Latiatuc “you see” in the Funeral Sermon and Prayer.^[2][6]
• 1211 – the personal names Látó and Látomás.^[2][3]
• after 1372 – meglát “to visit” in the Jókai Codex.^[2]
• after 1416 – látszik “to be seen, to seem”.^[3]
• 1515 – “to set about (a task)”.^[2]
• 1523 – “to receive, treat (a guest)”.^[2]
• 1595 – látomás “vision”.^[3]
• 1786 – láthatár “horizon”.^[2]
• 1815 – látnok “seer”.^[3]
• 1839 – lát as a noun in banking, “sight (of a bill)”.^[2][3]

Meanings

Verb

1. To see, to perceive with the eyes; to be able to see: Szemüveg nélkül alig látok.^[9][1]
2. To notice, to become aware of; to understand, realize: Látom, hogy fáradt vagy.^[9]
3. To see in the mind or imagination; to have visions.^[9]
4. To receive, to treat (a guest): szívesen lát “to welcome”.^[8][6]
5. With -hoz/-hez/-höz: to set about a task: munkához lát.^[1][8]

Word family

• látatlan
• látás
• láthatatlan
• látható
• látnok
• látogat
• látomás
• látszik
• látszódik
• látvány
• átlát
• belát
• meglát
• ellát
• nekilát
• látszat
• láttamoz
• látó

Related words

• lám
• néz

Usage notes

In banking lát is also a noun, “sight, presentation (of a bill)”, used in látra “at sight”;^{[10][2][3][9]} Szily credits it to Ferenc Császár in 1840, while EWUng and Zaicz record it from 1839.^{[10][2][3][9]} The forms látod, ládd, lássa are used in Szeged speech like lám “you see”.^[8]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f 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.) (1993–1997), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Ungarischen, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 920
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Zaicz, Gábor (ed.) (2006), Etimológiai szótár: magyar szavak és toldalékok eredete, Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó
4. ^ a b c Lakó, György (ed.) (1967–1978), A magyar szókészlet finnugor elemei, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 2, 390
5. ^ Budenz, József (1873–1881), Magyar–ugor összehasonlító szótár, Budapest: Magyar Tudományos Akadémia, p. 685
6. ^ a b c Czuczor, Gergely; Fogarasi, János (1862–1874), A magyar nyelv szótára, 6 vols., Pest: Emich Gusztáv / Athenaeum
7. ^ Szinnyei, József (1893–1901), Magyar tájszótár, 2 vols., Budapest: Hornyánszky, p. 1, 1298
8. ^ a b c d Bálint, Sándor (1957), Szegedi szótár, 2 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 2, 17
9. ^ 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
10. ^ a b Szily, Kálmán (1902–1908), A magyar nyelvújítás szótára, 2 vols., Budapest: Hornyánszky, p. 517