Károsítás

Károsítás is a Hungarian noun referring to the act or process of causing harm or damage to a person, property, or environment. The term is used in everyday language as well as in legal, technical, and policy contexts. It derives from káros, meaning harmful, with the verb-forming suffix -ítás.

In legal terms, károsítás denotes acts that result in harm to another's rights or interests. The consequences may include civil liability for restitution or compensation (kártérítés) and, depending on the jurisdiction, criminal liability if the act is intentional or grossly negligent. Common categories include személyi károsítás (harm to a person), vagyoni károsítás (property damage), and környezeti károsítás (environmental damage). The distinction between szándékos károsítás (intentional damage) and gondatlan károkozás (negligent harm) is important for determining liability and penalties.

In engineering and safety contexts, károsítás can describe impairment of a component, system, or structure due to factors such as material fatigue, overload, or external impact. In environmental policy, it refers to damage to ecosystems, biodiversity, or natural resources caused by pollution or land use changes, with regulatory frameworks addressing remediation and restoration.

Károsítás is related to terms such as kár, károsodás, kár okozása, and kártérítés. The word emphasizes the action of causing harm rather than the harm itself, and it can function across domains from law to engineering to public policy.