Etymologically
Log in

nincs

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 25 October 2026 at 22:00. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • [ˈnint͡ʃ][1]

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

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