Hungarian Historical Phonology nemez

nemëz 'Filz'

First attestation/Old Hungarian data

1395 nemes, nemeʒt (see EWUng 1023, s.v. nemez)

Important dialectal forms

[coming]

Uralic/Pre-Hungarian reconstruction

WOT: 1334: Ancient Hungarian *nämeδə < Ancient Hungarian *nämetə

Cognates suggested in earlier research

None

Loan etymology

Hu nemez ← Iranian WOT: 1334: Hu nemëz < Ancient Hungarian *nämeδə < Ancient Hungarian *nämetə ← Al *nämet

Commentary

The Iranian origin of nemez is transparent and is accepted by all the relevant sources. This is one of the loans preceding the change Hu z < *δ (< *t); it is unclear to which phase the word was borrowed: WOT (1334) assumes it was borrowed when Proto-Hungarian (WOT: "Ancient Hungarian") still had *t. WOT (1334) considers the word an Alanic loan, but it remains unclear why the word should be specifically Alanic loan, as the word is found in numerous Iranian languages.

WOT also mentions that the word is a "cultural wandering word", but in any case the immediate Iranian origin of the Hungarian word seems most likely.

Conclusion

A convincing Iranian etymology, borrowed before the latest phase of Proto-Hungarian.

References

EWUng 1023, s.v. nemez: Hu ← Iranian

WOT: 1334: Hu ← Alanic