nagy

Forms

nagy^[1]

Etymology

Its origin is uncertain; it may be inherited from Proto-Uralic *nᴕńćɜ (“strong, hard”), a word inherited from the Finno-Ugric period.^{[2][3][4][5][6][1]} The proposed cognates are all in Komi: Komi-Zyrian naʒ́ (“stingy, mean”), Komi-Zyrian nać (“entirely”) and the phrase Komi-Zyrian naʒ́-drug (“soon”).^[2][6][3] Medial Finno-Ugric /ńč/ regularly became Hungarian ⟨gy⟩, as in ágyék “loins” and légy “fly”.^[2][4]

The comparison has two weak points: the final consonant of the Komi words is irregular, and it works only if the original meaning was “strong, hard”, which became “big” in Hungarian and “stingy” in Komi.^[2][3][5] For such a change the sources compare English big, which once meant “strong, stout”, and Russian большой (bolʹšoj, “big”) beside Sanskrit words for “stronger” and “strength”.^[3][5] No other Finno-Ugric language has a proposed cognate, and TESz notes that the records support the change neither in Komi nor in Hungarian.^[5][3] Other Finno-Ugric comparisons and the Turkic derivations are wrong, and so is the view that the ⟨gy⟩ is a pronoun suffix.^[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

ÚESz gives as the first record the place name Nogʒẏl in a charter of 1037 known from a later copy.^[2] The first record as a common word is in the Tihany founding charter of 1055, in the boundary description ac postea nogu azah fehe rea, where nogu means “big, large”.^[7][2][8]

Semantic evolution

TESz explains all the senses from the oldest, “large in size”.^[3] The adjective means “intense, high in degree”, “important, outstanding” and “powerful, high-ranking” from the Jókai Codex on (a text written after 1372), and perhaps “older” from the Vienna Codex.^[7][2] As a noun it means “leading man, notable” from 1213, “wealth, power” (mostly in nagyra) from 1484, “adult, older child” about 1519, “the greater part” (nagyja) from 1569, and “great measure” (nagyban) from 1782; as an adverb, “very”, it appears after 1372 and in 1476.^[7][2]

Its old derivatives include nagyos (a personal name in 1247), nagyság “size” and nagyságos “very great”, later a title of rank (both after 1372), nagyít “to enlarge” (1470), nagyol (1555) and nagyzol “to boast” (1744).^[4][2] The polite address nagysád (1730) is a contraction of nagyságod “your greatness”.^[2][3] The church terms nagypéntek “Good Friday” (1412 as a personal name), nagyszombat “Holy Saturday” (1510) and nagyhét “Holy Week” (1519) are loan translations of Slavic models.^[9]

In the 19th century the forms of address were borrowed as Slovak naďšád (“madam”) and naďšága; they are now obsolete.^[10]

Timeline

• 1037 – the place name Nogʒẏl, in a later copy.^[2]
• 1055 – nogu “big” in the Tihany founding charter.^[7][2]
• 1199 – Nogy, a personal name.^[2][8]
• 1213 – as a noun, “leading man”.^[7][2]
• 1247 – the personal name Nogus (nagyos).^[2][4]
• after 1372 – “intense”, “important”, “powerful”, and nagyság “size”, in the Jókai Codex.^[2]
• 1412 – Nogpenthek (nagypéntek “Good Friday”) as a personal name.^[9]
• 1470 – nagyít “to enlarge”.^[4]
• 1730 – nagysád, a form of polite address.^[2]
• 1744 – nagyzol “to boast”.^[4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. big, large: taking up much space; extensive: nagy ház, nagy erdő.^[11][1]
2. Tall, high; deep (of water, snow or mud); long.^[11]
3. Of a letter: capital, upper-case.^[11][1]
4. Grown-up, adult; older (of a child): Már nagy lány.^[11][1]
5. Numerous; large in amount or number.^[11]
6. great, important, outstanding; powerful.^[7][1]
7. Intense, strong, high in degree: nagy hideg, nagy szél.^[7][12]

Noun

1. An important person, a notable: az ország nagyjai.^[1][7]
2. An adult; an older child.^[1]
3. With a possessive suffix: the bulk, the greater part: a munka nagyja.^[1][13]

Word family

• nagyban
• nagybani
• nagyít
• nagyja
• nagyjából
• nagyon
• nagyság
• nagyszerű
• nagyzol
• nagyol
• nagyságos
• nagysád
• nagypéntek
• hadnagy
• násznagy

Related words

• kicsi

Usage notes

Nagy is also a surname; in Szeged it is recorded from 1475, Nicolaus Nagh.^[13][1] The dialects have the forms nád, nâj and the adverb naon for nagyon.^[7][2]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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 Gerstner, Károly (ed.) (2006–), Új magyar etimológiai szótár, Budapest: Nyelvtudományi Kutatóközpont; online at uesz.nytud.hu
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Benkő, Loránd (ed.) (1967–1976), A magyar nyelv történeti-etimológiai szótára, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 2, 994
4. ^ a b c d e f Zaicz, Gábor (ed.) (2006), Etimológiai szótár: magyar szavak és toldalékok eredete, Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó
5. ^ a b c d Lakó, György (ed.) (1967–1978), A magyar szókészlet finnugor elemei, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 3, 461
6. ^ a b Rédei, Károly (ed.) (1986–1991), Uralisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó / Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz; online as Uralonet, uralonet.nytud.hu
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Benkő, Loránd (ed.) (1967–1976), A magyar nyelv történeti-etimológiai szótára, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 2, 993
8. ^ a b Szamota, István; Zolnai, Gyula (1902–1906), Magyar oklevél-szótár, Budapest: Hornyánszky, p. 677
9. ^ a b Benkő, Loránd (ed.) (1993–1997), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Ungarischen, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 1058
10. ^ Gregor, Ferenc (2023), A szlovák nyelv magyar elemei, ed. András Zoltán, Budapest: Kairosz, p. 613
11. ^ 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
12. ^ Csűry, Bálint (1935–1936), Szamosháti szótár, 2 vols., Budapest: Magyar Nyelvtudományi Társaság, p. 2, 146
13. ^ a b Bálint, Sándor (1957), Szegedi szótár, 2 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 2, 178