én

Etymology

From Old Hungarian ɛ̄n. Usually considered to continue the Proto-Uralic first-person pronoun *minä (compare e.g. Finnish minä), but there is no consensus on how the Hungarian word has developed to its present shape. At least four proposals have been advanced:^[1]

1. irregular loss of the word-initial *m-
2. from earlier *ɛmen, through the vocalization and loss of word-internal *-m-, as in many other cases such as ó (“old”)
3. from earlier *ɛ̄mn, with the cluster *mn simplified to n
4. from earlier *ɛ̄m, derived from the shorter Uralic root *mi, and with the irregular simplification of the root-final *-m to -n, perhaps first in the accusative engem (< ? *ɛmgɛm).

The last three options assume that the word was prefixed with *ɛ- at some point, perhaps an intensifying particle, or from the Proto-Uralic pronoun root *e- (“this”) (compare ez (“this”)).

Similarly irregular first-person pronouns occur in Mansi: Northern Mansi ам (am), Southern Mansi [script needed] (äm), and even in Chuvash: эпӗ (ep̬ĕ) from Proto-Turkic *ben. If these have a similar origin as the Hungarian word, they are the most compatible with the third and fourth explanations.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈeːn]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eːn

Pronoun

én

1. (personal) I (first-person singular)

   Én vagyok a képen. ― I am in the picture.

Noun

én (plural ének)

1. (psychology) self, ego

References

Further reading

• én 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
• én in Nóra Ittzés, editor, A magyar nyelv nagyszótára [A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (Nszt.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published a–ez as of 2024).

Verb

én

1. third-person plural present indicative of êse; “[​they​] are”

Alternative forms

• en — nonstandard

Romanization

én (en², Zhuyin ㄣˊ)

1. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 嗯

Pronunciation

This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with the IPA then please add some!

Numeral

én

1. stressed form of en

Alternative forms

• hén

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /eːn/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Celtic *ɸetnos.

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Mutation

References

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 én”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “2 én”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Etymology

From Proto-Nubian *éen¹, possibly from Proto-Nilo-Saharan *anɛŋ (“woman”)².

Noun

én

1. mother

References

• Browne, Gerald M - Old Nubian Dictionary - Claremont School of Theology - 1996 - p 72

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ʊɪ̯ːn]

Numeral

én

1. one.

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *ʔɛːnʔ, non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 燕 (SV: yến). Doublet of yến.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔɛn˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔɛŋ˦˧˥]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʔɛŋ˦˥]

Noun

(classifier con) én • (燕)

1. a swallow (bird)

   Synonym: nhạn

2. (loosely) Synonym of yến (“swift”) (bird)