Etymologically
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marad

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Pronunciation

Forms

marad[1]

Etymology

Its origin is uncertain. ÚESz and Zaicz suggest that it is inherited from Proto-Uralic *mᴕrɜ- (“to hold back”), a stem of the Uralic period, with the Hungarian frequentative suffix ⟨-d⟩.[2][3][1] The comparison rests on Samoyedic words alone: Tundra Nenets maŕe- (“to hold back, keep”) and Kamassian ⟨måri⟩ “greedy, miserly”.[2][3] Its weak points are that the cognates are found only in the most distant related languages, and that the original sense the comparison needs, “to hold back”, cannot be shown in Hungarian.[2][3]

The MSzFE accepts the comparison only if the verb first meant “to hold back” and took on the sense “to stay behind” from the intransitive function of the suffix ⟨-ad⟩.[4] The causative maraszt “to keep back” is built on the same stem with ⟨-szt⟩, as akaszt beside akad.[2] Hexendorf took the verb for a reflexive of mar (“to bite”); the MSzFE rejects this on grounds of meaning.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first records are of the derivative maradék, as a personal name: Maradec in a charter of 1138 known from a copy of 1329, and Morodec in 1211.[2][4] ÚESz reads the first as “one left behind after someone's death, the next of kin”.[2] The verb itself is in the Königsberg Fragment of the early 13th century, maradhassun, in the sense “to remain unchanged”, and in the Old Hungarian Lament of Mary.[2][4][3]

Semantic evolution

ÚESz dates eight senses: “to remain behind after someone” (1138, surely in the Jókai Codex), “to stay unchanged” (early 13th century), “to last, be preserved” (Lament of Mary), “to stay, linger somewhere” (Jókai Codex), “to come into a state” (Munich Codex), “to suffer punishment” (about 1519), “to be the remainder” in arithmetic (1591) and “to fall to someone as an inheritance” (before 1626).[2] The sense “to suffer punishment” comes from phrases such as büntetésben marad, literally “to be left in punishment”, beside büntetésben maraszt “to condemn”.[2] Charters of the 16th century use it of fines: az szeginy ember ki birságon marad “the poor man who is fined” (1564).[5]

The derivatives maradék “descendant” (Jókai Codex), later “leftovers” (Munich Codex), maradás (about 1493) and maradvány “remains” (1562) are old.[2][3] Maradi “old-fashioned, reactionary” is a word of the language reform: it appears as a personal name in 1843 and as a common word in 1861, probably from an invented speaking name.[2][3] An old noun marad “heir, successor”, recorded in 1470, has died out.[2][6]

Romanian dialects of Transylvania and the Partium borrowed the verb as Romanian mărădui (“to stay, remain behind”), recorded from the second half of the 18th century.[7]

Timeline

  • 1138 – Maradec, a personal name, in a charter known from a copy of 1329.[2][4]
  • 1211 – Morodec, a personal name.[2]
  • early 13th century – maradhassun in the Königsberg Fragment.[2]
  • c. 1448 – “to stay, linger” and maradék “descendant” in the Jókai Codex, copied from a text written after 1372.[2]
  • 1470 – the noun marad “heir”.[2]
  • c. 1519 – “to suffer punishment”.[2]
  • 1562 – maradvány “remains”.[2][3]
  • 1591 – “to be the remainder” in an arithmetic book.[2]
  • after 1753 – Romanian mărădui “to stay” in the Máramaros region.[7]
  • 1861 – maradi “old-fashioned”.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. (intransitive) To stay in a place, not to leave; to be left somewhere: Ma otthon maradok.[8][1]
  2. (copulative) To remain in a state, unchanged: Csendben maradt.[8][1]
  3. To be left over, especially after others have been taken or subtracted: Nem maradt egy fillérem sem.[1][9]
  4. To fall to someone, as an inheritance (with -ra/-re): A ház a lányára maradt.[9][10]
  5. To be put off till later: Ez a munka holnapra marad.[9][10]

Word family

  • maradék
  • maradi
  • maradvány
  • maradás
  • megmarad
  • elmarad
  • maraszt

Usage notes

Common phrases include köztünk maradjon “between ourselves” and abban maradtunk, hogy… “we agreed that…”.[9]

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 Gerstner, Károly (ed.) (2006–), Új magyar etimológiai szótár, Budapest: Nyelvtudományi Kutatóközpont; online at uesz.nytud.hu
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Zaicz, Gábor (ed.) (2006), Etimológiai szótár: magyar szavak és toldalékok eredete, Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó
  4. ^ a b c d e Lakó, György (ed.) (1967–1978), A magyar szókészlet finnugor elemei, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 2, 422
  5. ^ Szamota, István; Zolnai, Gyula (1902–1906), Magyar oklevél-szótár, Budapest: Hornyánszky, p. 615
  6. ^ Szarvas, Gábor; Simonyi, Zsigmond (1890–1893), Magyar nyelvtörténeti szótár, 3 vols., Budapest: Hornyánszky, p. 2, 685
  7. ^ a b Tamás, Lajos (1966), Etymologisch-historisches Wörterbuch der ungarischen Elemente im Rumänischen, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 521
  8. ^ a b Bárczi, Géza; Országh, László (eds.) (1959–1962), A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára, 7 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online at ertelmezo.oszk.hu
  9. ^ a b c d Bálint, Sándor (1957), Szegedi szótár, 2 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 2, 85
  10. ^ a b Csűry, Bálint (1935–1936), Szamosháti szótár, 2 vols., Budapest: Magyar Nyelvtudományi Társaság, p. 2, 62