Elszó

Elszó is a term that appears in Hungarian-language sources mainly as a compound form rather than as a standard dictionary entry. It is not widely listed in major Hungarian dictionaries, and its exact meaning tends to vary with context. In linguistic or literary discussions, elszó is sometimes used as a coined concept to denote the opening or initial word of a sentence, clause, or discourse segment. In such uses, it is described as a functional element that helps anchor a statement or signal the beginnings of a larger utterance. Because there is no broad consensus, definitions of elszó are typically context-dependent and speculative.

In folklore or fiction, elszó can be employed as the name of an opening incantation, a ceremonial word, or a magical term invoked at the start of a rite. In this sense, the term functions as a narrative device rather than as a conventional lexical item. The capitalization of the term varies: when used as a generic concept, it appears in lowercase; when treated as a proper name in a fictional work or as a surname in some records, it may be capitalized as Elszó.

In academic writing, the term remains rare and is more often used illustratively to demonstrate how new words are formed or how discourse structure can be labeled. See also: word, phrase, lexeme, discourse marker.