-nyi

See also: nyi, nyí, nyî, Nýi, -nyî, and -nyĭ

Hungarian

Etymology

From the now-dialectal lative suffix -ni. First attested in the late 12th century.^[1] (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ɲi]
Rhymes: -ɲi

Suffix

-nyi

(adjective-forming suffix) -ful, as much as. Added to a noun to form an adjective meaning "as much that can fit into", "as big as …".
‎villa (“fork”) + ‎-nyi → ‎villányi (“forkful; as much that fills a fork”)

‎tenyér (“palm of the hand”) + ‎-nyi → ‎tenyérnyi (“as big as a palm”)

Magyarország (“Hungary”) → egy magyarországnyi terület (“an area as big as that of Hungary”, i.e. approx. an Indiana-sized area)

Usage notes

There are several Hungarian surnames (and eponymous street names) apparently with -nyi ending, however, they usually derive from the name of a settlement that ends in -ny, so they do not contain this suffix. Some examples are Öttevényi (from Öttevény), Herényi (from Herény), Ladányi (from Ladány), Petényi/Pethényi (from Petény). Hence, their derivation from the -nyi ending is unlikely, though possible (e.g. petényi “as big as an egg cell”, from pete “egg cell”).

Derived terms

Hungarian adjectives suffixed with -nyi

Derivations from numerals

References

^ Eőry, Vilma. Értelmező szótár+ (“Explanatory Dictionary Plus”). Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó, 2007. →ISBN

Warlpiri

Suffix

-nyi

non-past marker, applied to verbs of class 3 to indicate non-past tense

[1] Eőry, Vilma. Értelmező szótár+ (“Explanatory Dictionary Plus”). Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó, 2007. →ISBN

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