fő

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• Rhymes: -føː

From a variant form of fej (“head”). It changed its part of speech from noun to adjective.^[1]

fő (comparative főbb, superlative legfőbb)

2. main, principal, key, chief, cardinal, core, most important

According to Tóth, Etelka, editor (2017), Magyar helyesírási szótár: A magyar helyesírás szabályai tizenkettedik kiadása szerint [Dictionary of Hungarian orthography: according to the 12th edition of the Rules of Hungarian orthography], Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, →ISBN. Online version, if this word is used in contrast with “vice-”, “deputy”, “auxiliary” or “subsidiary” (mellék-, al-), it is written without a space, e.g. főbejárat (“main entrance”), while in the sense “principal”, “primary”, “major”, “key”, or “most important”, it is written with a space, e.g. fő kérdés (“main question”)). This distinction was noticeable in the 10th and earlier editions of MHSz. (as shown e.g. in the word list of the 1973 edition) and it was clarified explicitly in the word list attached to the 11th edition of the regulation as well as in orthographic dictionaries reflecting this edition (e.g. 1999).

fő (plural fők)

2. (archaic) head

   Synonym: fej

   emelt fővel ― with one's head held high

   főbe lő ― shoot someone in the head

3. (formal) head(s), person(s), capita (counter for people)

   Synonyms: személy, ember, (literary) lélek

   Ötszáz fő lakik ebben a faluban. ― There are 500 persons living in this village.

   egy főre eső/jutó bruttó hazai termék ― GDP per capita

4. the main thing

   Synonym: lényeg

   az a fő, hogy… ― the main thing is that…

5. head (leader of a group or an organisation; usually in compounds)

   Synonyms: vezető, élén

   kormányfő ― head of government

   családfő ― head of the family, breadwinner

6. head (foremost part; usually in compounds)

   asztalfő ― head of table

   hétfő ― Monday (first day of the week)

   hídfő ― bridgehead

From Proto-Uralic *peje- (“to boil, cook”).^[1][2] Cognates include Erzya and Moksha пиемс (pijems, “to boil”).

fő

2. (intransitive) to boil, to cook (normally in water, as opposed to oil)

   Coordinate term: sül

   Active-voice counterpart: főz

(With verbal prefixes):

• (to cook): fő in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
• (head, main): fő in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN