Gyengített

Gyengített is a Hungarian adjective derived from the verb gyengít, meaning to weaken. It describes something whose strength, intensity, effectiveness, or virulence has been reduced, either deliberately or as a result of natural processes. The form is common in everyday language as well as in scientific and technical contexts, and it can apply to physical properties, performance, or security and policy measures.

Etymology and usage notes: Gyengít comes from gyenge (weak) with the verb-forming affix -ít, and the past participle ending -ett/-ött yields gyengített. The term is versatile and appears in several domains, often with nuance about a partial, controlled, or intentional reduction rather than a complete loss.

In biology and medicine, gyengített frequently appears in the expression gyengített élő vírus vakcina, meaning an attenuated live vaccine. Such vaccines use a pathogen weakened so that it provokes an immune response without causing disease in healthy individuals. The term is also used for gyengített törzs, referring to weakened strains of bacteria or viruses used in research or vaccine development. By contrast, inactivated or killed vaccines are described with terms like inaktivált.

In everyday and institutional language, gyengített can describe any diminished capability or strength, such as a gyengített védelmi rendszer (weakened defense system) or gyengített gazdasági/megfigyelési intézkedések, where the change reflects reduced effectiveness or intensity.

See also: gyengítés (the noun form), gyenge (weak).