kilenc (Hungarian)
Where does "kilenc" come from?
First attested in 1378, the Hungarian word for nine, 'kilenc', has an uncertain origin that likely alludes to being just outside the number ten. This concept of reaching toward ten is reflected in related Uralic languages like Northern Mansi and Northern Khanty, which also phrase nine as a 'side' or path to ten. The word likely combined a prefix meaning outside with a suffix representing the number ten, a structural pattern seen in other related languages like Komi-Zyrian and Udmurt.
Full etymology tree
- kilenc (Hungarian), 'nine'
- derived kívül (Hungarian), 'outside, outdoors'
- inherited kü (Hungarian)
- affix -n (Hungarian), 'on. Forms the superessive case from nouns, adjectives, participles, and certain pronouns.'
- affix -c (Hungarian), 'Added to a word to form a noun with a diminutive sense. No longer productive.'
- inherited ten (ancestral root) (Uralic)
- contraction ӧкмыс (ökmys) (Komi-Zyrian), 'nine'
- contraction укмыс (ukmys) (Udmurt), 'nine'
- inherited ten (ancestral root) (Uralic)
- derived kívül (Hungarian), 'outside, outdoors'
Cognates and doublets
- ӧкмыс (Komi-Zyrian)
- яртъяӈ (Northern Khanty)
- онтолов (Northern Mansi)
- укмыс (Udmurt)
Descendants and derived words
- harminckilenc (Hungarian)
- hatvankilenc (Hungarian)
- hetvenkilenc (Hungarian)
- huszonkilenc (Hungarian)
- kilences (Hungarian)
- kilences (Hungarian)
- kilencszáz (Hungarian)
- kilencszög (Hungarian)
- kilencven (Hungarian)
- kilencvenkilenc (Hungarian)
- negyvenkilenc (Hungarian)
- nyolcvankilenc (Hungarian)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris