Rétegén

Rétegén is a Hungarian grammatical form of the noun réteg, which means “layer” or “stratum.” It marks a location on the surface of a layer, functioning as the surface (superessive/locative) case form. The form is created by adding the locative suffix -én to the stem réteg, following standard vowel harmony rules. This yields a meaning close to “on the layer” or “at the surface of the layer.”

In usage, rétegén appears primarily in technical contexts such as geology, soil science, stratigraphy, and materials science, where it is important to describe objects or processes that occur on the exterior surface of a specific stratum. It is one of several location-related inflections of réteg; others include rétegben (“in the layer”) and réteghez (“to the layer”), among related forms that express different directional or locative relations.

Rétegén, as a form, is not a separate lexical item with its own independent meaning. Instead, it is an inflected variant of réteg used to convey spatial relation within a sentence. Its correct use depends on standard Hungarian case harmony and the intended locative nuance (surface/on the layer versus internal location, etc.).

See also: réteg (layer), Hungarian grammar and morphology, locative and other spatial cases in Hungarian.