nincs

Forms

nincs^[1]

Etymology

It is a compound from Hungarian nem (“not”) + ës: the negative word and the emphatic particle ës ~ s, the same word as the conjunction and as is “also”.^{[2][3][4][5][1]} The compound arose in sentences in which the negative was the predicate, stressed by the particle; when the two had fused, the emphasis faded, and the compound became a negative verb meaning there is not.^[2][4][5]

Its plural was at first nincsek; nincsenek was formed after the third-person plural verbs in -nek.^[2][4] ÚESz and EWUng take nincsen as a back-formation from that plural;^[4][3][2] TESz also allows that the singular was lengthened after vagyon and megyen.^[4][3][2] The origin of the old forms incs and incsen is not clear, and the dialect form csincs is the result of assimilation.^[2][4]

TESz rejects the older explanations of the word as a compound of the negative, the particle and van, or as the negative ne with a negative verb.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in the Jókai Codex (written after 1372, copied about 1448), as nÿncʒen and nencʒen, in the sense “there is not, there is no”: one passage says that there is no perfect joy there.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

The sense has stayed the same since the first record; the history is one of form.^[2][4] The codices show ninch in the Vienna Codex and incs, incsen in the Munich Codex; a record of about 1490 still writes the two parts apart, nem cen; and the old plural nincek appears in 1541.^[2][4] Dialects keep the plural nincsek (Göcsej) and nincsennek.^[6][7]

The derivative nincstelen “destitute” arose in dialect as a double negative for emphasis;^[2][4][5] TESz first records it in 1881 as nincsetlen and in 1900 in its present form, and nincstelenség “destitution” from the 1870s.^[2][4][5] Proverbs use the word as a noun for poverty: Szeged has Nagy úr a nincsen, “Want is a great lord”.^[8] A Transylvanian record of 1634 has a' halál ellen ninczen orvosság, “there is no medicine against death”.^[9]

Timeline

• after 1372 (copy of about 1448) – nÿncʒen “there is not” in the Jókai Codex.^[2][4]
• after 1416 (copy of 1466) – incs, incsen in the Munich Codex.^[2][4]
• c. 1490 – nem cen, with the parts written apart.^[2][4]
• 1541 – the old plural nincek.^[2][4]
• 1870s – nincstelenség “destitution”.^[2][4]
• 1881 – nincsetlen “destitute”;^[2] nincstelen from 1900.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. There is no, does not exist: Nincs olyan ember, aki ezt elhinné.^[10][1]
2. Is not present somewhere, is absent or missing: A főnök nincs az irodában.^[10][1]
3. Of a time or a usual activity: has not come, is not taking place.^[10]
4. Is not in a given state or condition: nincs jól “he is not well”.^[10]
5. Does not reach an amount: Még nincs húszéves.^[10]
6. With a possessive subject: someone does not have something: Nincs időm.^[10][1]

Word family

• nincstelen
• nincstelenség

Related words

• van
• sincs

Usage notes

Nincs is the negative of van in the present indicative third person only: nincs or nincsen, plural nincsenek (folk nincsennek); the other forms use nem with van.^[10][11] The form with the particle sem is sincs.^[2]

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 Benkő, Loránd (ed.) (1967–1976), A magyar nyelv történeti-etimológiai szótára, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 2, 1019
3. ^ a b c Benkő, Loránd (ed.) (1993–1997), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Ungarischen, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 1073
4. ^ 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
5. ^ a b c d Zaicz, Gábor (ed.) (2006), Etimológiai szótár: magyar szavak és toldalékok eredete, Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó
6. ^ Szinnyei, József (1893–1901), Magyar tájszótár, 2 vols., Budapest: Hornyánszky
7. ^ Csűry, Bálint (1935–1936), Szamosháti szótár, 2 vols., Budapest: Magyar Nyelvtudományi Társaság, p. 2, 160
8. ^ Bálint, Sándor (1957), Szegedi szótár, 2 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 2, 201
9. ^ Szabó T., Attila (ed.) (1975–2014), Erdélyi magyar szótörténeti tár, 14 vols., Bukarest: Kriterion / Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó / Kolozsvár: Erdélyi Múzeum-Egyesület, p. 9, 675
10. ^ a b c d e f g Bárczi, Géza; Országh, László (eds.) (1959–1962), A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára, 7 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online at ertelmezo.oszk.hu
11. ^ Czuczor, Gergely; Fogarasi, János (1862–1874), A magyar nyelv szótára, 6 vols., Pest: Emich Gusztáv / Athenaeum