anya (Hungarian)

Where does "anya" come from?

The Hungarian noun 'anya' traces its roots back to the Proto-Uralic *ańa, a term originally used to describe the wife of an older male relative. Over time, the meaning evolved to more specifically denote a mother. Interestingly, the modern Hungarian word now functions as a homonym, serving as the standard word for mother while also being used to describe a mechanical nut.

Full etymology tree

• anya (Hungarian), 'mother'
  • inherited *ańa (Proto-Uralic), 'a relative (female)'

Ancestors

• *ańa (Proto-Uralic)

Descendants and derived words

• anyaállat (Hungarian)
• anyaföld (Hungarian)
• anyahajó (Hungarian)
• anyai (Hungarian)
• anyajegy (Hungarian)
• anyák napja (Hungarian)
• anyakönyv (Hungarian)
• anyanyelv (Hungarian)
• anyáskodik (Hungarian)
• anyátlan (Hungarian)
• anyavállalat (Hungarian)
• anyó (Hungarian)

Updated June 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris