Hungarian Historical Phonology ásít

ásít 'yawn'

First attestation/Old Hungarian data

[coming]

Important dialectal forms

[coming]

Uralic/Ugric/Pre-Hungarian reconstruction

Disputed:

UEW: * ȣćɜ- 'yawn; gähnen'

Status of the Ugric etymology

Uncertain

Loan etymology

None suggested

Cognates suggested in earlier research

MSzFE, UEW:

Khanty: East (V) usi̮l-, South (DN) wăses-, North (O) os- 'gähnen'

Mansi: South (TJ) ōsə·nt-, East (KU) ūsənt-, West (P) ūsəntāl-, North (So) ūsint- 'gähnen'

Mari: ušte- 'gähnen', (U) ušte- 'die Verstorbenen anbeten und mit Opfer verehren, eine Gedächtnisfeier für die Gestorbenen abhalten'

Commentary

UEW lists this etymology as a certain Finno-Ugric etymology, but from the reconstruction it is visible that the issue is not quite settled. The Finno-Ugric origin of Hungarian ásít has been doubted by TESz and EWUng, who rather assume an onomatopoetic origin; already MSzFE mentioned the possibility that the alleged cognates can be independent onomatopoetic formations. Abondolo (1996: 101) lists the Finno-Ugric etymology without comments, and the comparison of the Hungarian, Khanty and Mansi words is also mentioned by DEWOS (190).

Bereczki (2013: 292-293, s.v. ueštam) rejects the comparison with Mari uštem, noting that ueštem is the original form and uštam is due to contraction. He also notes that ušte- 'die Verstorbenen anbeten und mit Opfer verehren, eine Gedächtnisfeier für die Gestorbenen abhalten' is a completely different and unrelated word.

The issue with the alleged Khanty and Mansi cognates of ásít is likewise problematic. The relation Hu s ~ Kh, Ms s is irregular, and the relationship between the forms in the Khanty variaties is also irregular.

Because of these problems, the idea that ásít is of Uralic origin should be rejected.

Conclusion

The Uralic etymology of ásít is unconvincing. Further research is needed.

References

Abondolo 1991: 101: PFU

DEWOS: 190: Hu ~ Kh ~ Ms

EWUng s.v. ásít

MSzFE: 97-98, s.v. ásít: ? PFU

TESz s.v. ásít

UEW s.v. ȣćɜ-: PFU Uralonet