Veszteni

Veszteni is a Hungarian verb whose primary sense is "to lose." In standard modern Hungarian, the verb elveszíteni is used for most ordinary losses, such as misplacing an object or failing to retain something. Veszteni appears primarily as a literary, archaic, or dialectal variant and is far less common in everyday speech.

Etymology and relation to other forms: Veszteni belongs to the vesz- verb family, which includes vesz, elveszíteni, and related forms. Its exact historical development is not always distinguished from elveszíteni in contemporary descriptions, but linguists often treat veszteni as an older or stylistic variant derived from the same root that conveys loss.

Usage and register: In modern Hungarian, veszteni is typically encountered in historical texts, poetry, or dialectal writing to convey a sense of antiquity or formality. In many contexts, it can be used interchangeably with elveszíteni in older literature, while in standard contemporary prose elveszíteni remains the preferred term. The range of meanings covers losing tangible objects, as well as more abstract losses such as time, opportunities, or a game outcome, though the latter usages are more common with elveszíteni.

See also: elveszíteni. Veszteni is closely related to the broader loss vocabulary in Hungarian and is mainly of historical or stylistic interest in current usage.