Hungarian Historical Phonology keserű

keserű 'bitter, herb'

akaszt 'bitter werden; erbittert werden'

First attestation/Old Hungarian data

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Important dialectal forms

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Uralic/Ugric/Pre-Hungarian reconstruction

? *käčä-

(Disputed:)

UEW: *kȣ̈ćɜ (kȣ̈ćɜ-rɜ)- 'bitter'

Status of the Ugric etymology

Implausible

Loan etymology

None suggested

Cognates suggested in earlier research

Mansi: East (K) kwåśkėrtaχt- 'savanyúnak érzik (кислым пахнет); etwas schmekt jemandem sauer', (KM) käsəml- 'räuchern', West (P) kwaśėrt-: šämäm påšėmnė kwaśėrtawei̊ 'szemeimet csípi, égeti a füst; der Rauch beißt mir in den Augen', käššəm: käššəm-woŋ˳kə 'Räuchergrube', (LO) kassəml- 'räuchern', North (N) kwosėrtaχt- 'einen scharfen herben, bitteren Geschmack od. Geruch haben' (more than one Proto-Mansi word here, see the commentary below)

Commentary

The Proto-Ugric etymology presented in UEW cannot be correct as such, as the Mansi cognates listed comprise more than one word family: KM käsəml- , P käššəm, LO kassəml- reflect Proto-Mansi *käšəm- that Honti (1982: 145, No. 222) connects with Khanty cognates like DN kēčəm 'Ruß'. These Ob-Ugric words point to *č, not *ć that UEW reconstructs. Abondolo connects the Ob-Ugric cognates mentioned by Honti with Hungarian keserű. It is unclear whether these words can belong together as Hungarian has open e (usually < PU/PUg *ä) whereas Khanty and Mansi rather point to earlier *i.

UEW mentions the old idea of possible connection with Finnish kitkerä 'bitter'. If the Ob-Ugric words reflect Proto-Ugric/Proto-Uralic *kičV-, it might be possible to connect them with Finnic *kickë-.

Conclusion

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References

Abondolo 1998: 38, No 66: PUg

EWUng

UEW s.v. kȣ̈ćɜ (kȣ̈ćɜ-rɜ): PUg Uralonet