Hungarian Historical Phonology gyak

(dial., arch.) gyak 'dagger; Dolch'

(dial.) gyakik 'prick, stab; stechen'

First attestation/Old Hungarian data

[coming]

Important dialectal forms

[coming]

Uralic/Ugric/Pre-Hungarian reconstruction

(Obsolete:)

UEW: PUg *jȣkkɜ 'prick, stab; pricking or stabbing instrument; stechen; Stechinstrument'

Status of the Ugric etymology

Implausible

Loan etymology

None suggested

Cognates suggested in earlier research

UEW:

Khanty: East (V) joγi̮- 'schlagen, hauen, klopfen; lenken (ein Rentier mit einer Stange)', North (Kaz) jăχəs- 'stechten (Gräte im Hals Splitter im Finger usw.)'

Mansi: East (KM) jē̮k˳- 'durchstechen, stopfen, verstopfen'

Commentary

The Ugric etymology of Hungarian gyak (considered uncertain by UEW) is improbable for several reasons. First of all, there are very few credible parallels for the alleged change *j > gy in Hungarian: the word gyalog, possible a reflex of *jalka 'foot', is the only one still accepted by critical sources of Uralic etymology, such as Zhivlov (2014). Additionally, the Ob-Ugric cognates also have problems, as one would expect Khanty *k from Proto-Uralic/Proto-Ugric *kk (see Zhivlov 2022). Khanty vocalism also does not point to Proto-Uralic/Proto-Ugric *e̮ (see Aikio 2015 for reflexes of PU *e̮ in Khanty) whereas Mansi vocalism would require the reconstruction of this phoneme.

The alternative (uncertain) Finno-Ugric etymology found in the UEW is less problematic, as *d' > gy would be regular. See the discussion.

Conclusion

Due to phonological irregularities the Proto-Ugric etymology has to be rejected.

References

DEWOS: 352: ? Proto-Ugric

EWUng: 489, s.v. gyak: ? Proto-Ugric or Proto-Finno-Ugric

UEW s.v. jȣkkɜ: ? Proto-Ugric Uralonet