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-ű. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
-ű, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
-ű in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
-ű you have here. The definition of the word
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-ű, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Hungarian
Etymology
First attested in c. 1350. Of the same origin as the -ó/-ő diminutive suffix. Later it split from the latter as an adjective-forming suffix meaning “possessing something”. Originally, the variants occurred equally both as a diminutive suffix and as an adjective-forming suffix. This mix of forms resulted in a division of senses.
Pronunciation
Suffix
-ű
- (adjective-forming suffix) Added to a noun to form an adjective denoting possession or similarity. It is used only in parasynthetic compounds, requiring a preceding adjective or a compound structure. Similar in function to English -ed.
- hét (“seven”) + fej (“head”) → hétfejű sárkány (“seven-headed dragon”)
- jó szív (“kind heart”) → kind-hearted
- darázsderekú (“wasp-waisted”)
- (obsolete) Present-participle suffix, found today only in a few words such as gyönyörű (“beautiful”, adjective), fésű (“comb”, noun), sűrű (“thick”, adjective).
Usage notes
- (adjective-forming suffix): Variants:
- -ú is added to back-vowel words ending in a consonant
- -ű is added to front-vowel words ending in a consonant
- -jú is added to back-vowel words ending in a vowel. Final -a changes to -á-.
- -jű is added to front-vowel words ending in a vowel. Final -e changes to -é-.
Declension
Derived terms
See also
References