Etymologically
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lát

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Pronunciation

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

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