Etymologically
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nos

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Pronunciation

Forms

Older spellings: no s, no's.[2] Early records: nós (1793), Nus (1796), No 's (1808), nas (1817), Noss (1820).[3]

Etymology

It is from Hungarian no (“come on, well”) + s (“and”), a compound of the interjection and the conjunction, a short form of és.[3][4][5][1] The compound arose in sentences in which the interjection, urging the listener on, stood before a question that began with the conjunction; the boundary between the two sentences shifted, and the pair became one word.[3][6][4]

From the question it introduced the word took over the sense of asking, which is its most characteristic use: curiosity, interest.[3][5] Its other uses, urging someone to go on or to act, assent, an objection or a conclusion, keep something of the original interjection.[3][4] As a filler word it has lost much of its own meaning.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is of 1793, in a play quoted by the NSz: nós hát nem tetszene e' szép szerént meg szóllalni? “well then, would you not care to speak up nicely?”, where the word urges someone to speak.[3][4] EWUng and ÚESz gloss the early use as “well, so, come on”.[6][4]

Semantic evolution

TESz and ÚESz take the introduction of a question as the first use, and the interjection senses, encouragement, consent and the drawing of a conclusion, as growing out of it.[4][3] Czuczor and Fogarasi explained nos mit láttál? as no és (azután) mit láttál? “well, and (then) what did you see?”.[7] Kresznerics glossed it in 1831 with Latin quid tum “what then?”.[8] Csokonai uses it to open a challenging question.[9]

The ÉrtSz labels the word as belonging to elevated and literary language, and lists the old spellings no s and no's.[2]

Timeline

  • 1793 – nós, the first record, in a play.[3][4]
  • 1796 – Nus.[3]
  • 1808 – No 's.[3]
  • 1831 – nos in Kresznerics's dictionary, glossed “what then?”.[8]
  • 1862 – Czuczor and Fogarasi explain it as no + s.[7]

Meanings

Interjection

  1. well?, and then?: asks someone to go on with an interrupted story or to answer.[2][1]
  2. Opens a curious or interested question, without linking it to what went before: Nos, hogy vagy?[2]
  3. Opens a defiant or mocking question.[2]
  4. Expresses hesitation or thinking it over.[2]
  5. Urges someone to act or to hurry: Nos, indulunk?[2]
  6. Expresses consent or resignation.[2]
  7. Introduces an objection.[2]
  8. Introduces a conclusion: well then, so.[2][1]
  9. In a narrative, introduces something new to liven up the telling.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Bárczi, Géza; Országh, László (eds.) (1959–1962), A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára, 7 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online at ertelmezo.oszk.hu
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Benkő, Loránd (ed.) (1967–1976), A magyar nyelv történeti-etimológiai szótára, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 2, 1022
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Gerstner, Károly (ed.) (2006–), Új magyar etimológiai szótár, Budapest: Nyelvtudományi Kutatóközpont; online at uesz.nytud.hu
  5. ^ a b Zaicz, Gábor (ed.) (2006), Etimológiai szótár: magyar szavak és toldalékok eredete, Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó
  6. ^ a b Benkő, Loránd (ed.) (1993–1997), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Ungarischen, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 1074
  7. ^ a b Czuczor, Gergely; Fogarasi, János (1862–1874), A magyar nyelv szótára, 6 vols., Pest: Emich Gusztáv / Athenaeum
  8. ^ a b Kresznerics, Ferenc (1831–1832), Magyar szótár gyökérrenddel és deák értelmezéssel, 2 vols., Buda, p. 2, 76
  9. ^ Jakab, László et al. (1993–2019), Csokonai-szókincstár I–IV, Debrecen: Debreceni Egyetem (Számítógépes Nyelvtörténeti Adattár)