valami

Forms

valami^[1]

Etymology

It is a compound from Hungarian vala- + mi (“what”): the indefinite prefix and the interrogative pronoun.^[2][3][1] The prefix is the same word as való, the present participle of van (stem val-); in its variant form vala the participle later became a past tense of the verb.^[4][5][2] The stem goes back to Proto-Uralic *wole- (“to be”).^[6]

The prefix first meant being somewhere, to be found; that sense faded, and it became a mark of indefiniteness, as in valaki “someone”.^[2][3] ÚESz explains that these compounds arose in relative clauses, by syntactic fusion, which is why the word could also mean whatever in the old language.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is valamÿt “something” in the Jókai Codex, a text written after 1372 and copied about 1448; the same codex also has it as a relative pronoun, “that which, whatever”.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The adjectival use, “some, any (kind of)”, appears in the Munich Codex (written after 1416, copied 1466), and the senses of quantity follow: “some, a slight” about 1510 and “a little, a bit” in 1536.^[2] The Transylvanian records of the 16th and 17th centuries already show it for an indefinite thing, an indefinite matter, and “a little”.^[7] Czuczor and Fogarasi still objected to the adjectival use (valami módon for valamely módon), on the grounds that the simple mi is not an adjective either.^[8]

As a relative pronoun, “whatever”, it is now only folk or archaic speech.^[9] Colloquial speech made it an adverb: before a number “about, roughly”, and before an adjective an intensifier, “really, very”, or with nem “not particularly”.^[9][1] In Szeged it also means “strange, peculiar” (valami egy gyerök “a strange child”), and nem nagy valami is “nothing much”.^[10][11]

Timeline

• after 1372 (copy of about 1448) – valamÿt “something” and the relative use “whatever”, in the Jókai Codex.^[2]
• after 1416 (copy of 1466) – adjectival “any, some”, in the Munich Codex.^[2]
• c. 1510 – “some, slight”.^[2]
• 1536 – “a little, a bit”.^[2]
• 1564 – walamy in a Hungarian gloss of a Latin charter.^[12]

Meanings

Pronoun

1. something: an unspecified or unknown thing: Valami zörög a padláson.^[9][1]
2. Something abstract: an event, matter or thought not named more closely: Valami történt vele.^[9]
3. A little, a bit of something; something more than nothing.^[9]
4. (emphatic, approving) Something remarkable or excellent: Ez aztán valami!^[9]
5. (adjectival) Some, a kind of, a certain: valami orvos “some doctor or other”.^[9]

Adverb

1. (informal) about, approximately, before a number.^[9][1]
2. (informal) Really, very, as an intensifier; with nem: not particularly: Nem valami jó ez a film.^[9][1]

Related words

• való
• van

Usage notes

It is one of a series of indefinite words made with vala-: valaki “someone”, valamely “some, any”, valamennyi “all; some”, valahol “somewhere”, valamikor “once, sometime”.^[2][3]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Gerstner, Károly (ed.) (2006–), Új magyar etimológiai szótár, Budapest: Nyelvtudományi Kutatóközpont; online at uesz.nytud.hu
3. ^ a b c d Zaicz, Gábor (ed.) (2006), Etimológiai szótár: magyar szavak és toldalékok eredete, Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó
4. ^ Benkő, Loránd (ed.) (1967–1976), A magyar nyelv történeti-etimológiai szótára, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 3, 1081
5. ^ Benkő, Loránd (ed.) (1993–1997), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Ungarischen, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 1643
6. ^ Rédei, Károly (ed.) (1986–1991), Uralisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó / Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz; online as Uralonet, uralonet.nytud.hu
7. ^ Szabó T., Attila (ed.) (1975–2014), Erdélyi magyar szótörténeti tár, 14 vols., Bukarest: Kriterion / Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó / Kolozsvár: Erdélyi Múzeum-Egyesület, p. 13, 1048
8. ^ Czuczor, Gergely; Fogarasi, János (1862–1874), A magyar nyelv szótára, 6 vols., Pest: Emich Gusztáv / Athenaeum
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i Bárczi, Géza; Országh, László (eds.) (1959–1962), A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára, 7 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online at ertelmezo.oszk.hu
10. ^ Bálint, Sándor (1957), Szegedi szótár, 2 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 2, 639
11. ^ Csűry, Bálint (1935–1936), Szamosháti szótár, 2 vols., Budapest: Magyar Nyelvtudományi Társaság, p. 2, 436
12. ^ Szamota, István; Zolnai, Gyula (1902–1906), Magyar oklevél-szótár, Budapest: Hornyánszky