Etymologically
Log in
History Permalink

Etymology and origin of the Hungarian word ma

Confidence
Probable
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1138 personal name in a charter (later copy)
From the same root
Hungarian most ← ma

Pronunciation

Forms

ma[1]

Etymology

It is probably a fixed case form made in Hungarian: the stem of más “other” with the lative suffix ⟨-i⟩.[2][3][4][1] The sound changes were probably ⟨*mai̯⟩ > ⟨má⟩ > ⟨ma⟩.[2][4]

It was first an adverb of place and became an adverb of time like holott and itt;[2][4] Zaicz traces the steps “so far, meanwhile” > “herewith, then” > “now” > “today”.[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first, uncertain record is the personal name Mauog in a charter of 1138 known from a later copy, which ÚESz reads as “now” or “today”.[2][3] In the Jókai Codex (copied about 1448 from a text written after 1372) ma means “now”.[2]

Semantic evolution

The sense “today” is certain from the Vienna Codex (copied about 1450), which also has the adjective mai “today's”.[2][3] The Jókai Codex also uses ma as a particle, “well, then, indeed”.[2] The sense “nowadays” follows in 1769, and the noun “today, the present day” from the late 18th century (1788, 1798).[2][3]

Old spellings include mah (about 1512) and Mo (1525); mó is a dialect form.[2]

Timeline

  • 1138 – Mauog, perhaps “now” or “today”, in a personal name (later copy).[2]
  • c. 1448 – ma “now” and as a particle in the Jókai Codex (text written after 1372).[2]
  • c. 1450 – ma “today” and mai “today's” in the Vienna Codex.[2]
  • 1769 – “nowadays”.[2][3]
  • 1788 – the noun “today”.[2]
  • 1798 – the noun “the present”.[2]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. today, on this day: Ma este moziba megyünk.[5][1]
  2. nowadays, at present: Ma már mindenkinek van telefonja.[5]

Noun

  1. Today, this day: mához egy hétre “a week from today”.[5][1]
  2. The present, the present time: a ma embere.[5][1]

Word family

  • mai

Usage notes

The noun is used in the singular only, mostly in case forms: máig “until today”, mára “for today”, mától “from today”, máról holnapra “overnight; from hand to mouth”.[5]

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 Gerstner, Károly (ed.) (2006–), Új magyar etimológiai szótár, Budapest: Nyelvtudományi Kutatóközpont; online at uesz.nytud.hu
  3. ^ a b c d e Benkő, Loránd (ed.) (1993–1997), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Ungarischen, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 962
  4. ^ a b c d Zaicz, Gábor (ed.) (2006), Etimológiai szótár: magyar szavak és toldalékok eredete, Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó
  5. ^ 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

Derived terms

Cite this entry

“Ma.” Etymologically, 25 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/hu/ma. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·