Hungarian Historical Phonology hét

hét (hetet) 'seven'

First attestation/Old Hungarian data

? 1067 Hethe (derivative, place name)

EWUng: 552, s.v. hét

Important dialectal forms

[coming]

Uralic/Pre-Hungarian reconstruction

Pre-Hu *säptä

MSzFE: PUg *säptɜ UEW: PUg *ϑäptɜ, *säptɜ

Cognates suggested in earlier research

Khanty: East (V) läwət, South (DN) tȧpət, North (O) lȧpət 'sieben, Woche'

Mansi: South (TJ) sɑ̄t, East (KU) sɔ̈̄t, West (P) sāt, North (So) sāt 'sieben, Woche'

Commentary

It is clear that the Hungarian, Khanty and Mansi words are parallel loanwords from Indo-Iranian due to the mismatch of the word-initial consonants: only the Khanty cognate reflects regularly *säptä. Also, no Proto-Ob-Ugric word can be reconstructed due to the same reason.

h in Hungarian hét is usually explained through analogical influence from hat 'six'. This is probably correct.

Conclusion

A convincing loan from Indo-Iranian. Hungarian, Khanty and Mansi words parallel loanwords.

References

Abondolo 1996: 88-89: PUg ← Ir

EWUng: 552, s.v. hét: PUg ← Ir

FUV: 130

Helimski 1997b: 121

Holopainen 2019: parallel loanwords from Iranian/Indo-Iranian

Joki 1973

Korenchy 1972: 70, No. 27: PUg ← Ir

Kümmel 2020: 253: PUg ← Ir

Ligeti 1986: 134–135

MSzFE: 283–284, s.v. hét (hetet): PUg ← Ir

Sammallahti 1988: parallel loanwords from Iranian

UEW s.v. θäptɜ: PUg ← Ir Uralonet