Lenyelni

Lenyelni is a Hungarian verb meaning to swallow, used for both the physical act of swallowing food or liquid and, figuratively, for accepting something unpleasant or difficult. It can describe the movement of something from the mouth into the stomach as well as the mental act of accepting unwelcome information or a challenging situation.

Etymology and form: Lenyelni is formed from the verb nyelni (to swallow) with the prefix le-, which often adds a sense of completion or downward action. The infinitive is lenyelni, and the word functions as a transitive verb, typically taking a direct object such as a pill, a bite, or a drink (for example, lenyeltem a tablettát).

Grammatical notes and usage: In Hungarian, lenyelni is used across tenses like other verbs and can appear with definite or indefinite objects depending on context. It commonly occurs with everyday items, such as lenyelni egy falatot vagy egy kortyot, and it is also employed in figurative phrases to express the idea of accepting something undesirable or difficult to deal with. The verb integrates into the standard Hungarian predicate system and supports standard aspectual distinctions through conjugation and suffixation.

See also: nyelni, a related verb meaning to swallow, from which lenyelni is derived. Lenyelni remains the primary term in Hungarian for describing both literal swallowing and the broader metaphor of accepting a hard reality.