Temetni

Temetni is a Hungarian verb meaning to bury a dead person in a grave or to inter someone. It denotes placing a body in the ground as part of a burial ceremony and is used in a literal sense. The term is closely linked to related nouns such as temetés (burial or funeral) and temető (cemetery). The verb can also be used in broader, figurative phrases to convey the completion or end of something, but its primary sense remains physical burial.

Temetni is a regular transitive verb. In the present tense the forms are: én temetem, te temeted, ő temeti, mi temetjük, ti temetitek, ők temetik. In the past simple, the forms are: én temettem, te temetted, ő temette, mi temettük, ti temettétek, ők temették. The past participle is temetett, used in compound tenses and as an adjective (for example, a temetett személy, “the buried person”). The verb frequently occurs with a passive-like construction or the prefix el- to emphasize completion, as in eltemetni, meaning “to bury (someone) completely.”

Usage notes include that temetni typically requires an object representing the deceased and is often accompanied by a mention of the burial site, ceremony, or funeral arrangements. While temetés and temető cover the broader concepts of funeral and burial site, temetni specifically refers to the act of burying.

In Hungarian practice, temetni coexists with other end-of-life rites, including hamvasztás (cremation) for those choosing cremation. Temetni remains the standard term for the act of burial, distinct from cremation or other forms of interment.