keresztet

Keresztet is the definite direct object form of the Hungarian noun kereszt, meaning “cross.” It is used when the cross is the object of a transitive verb and the object is definite, for example after a definite article or demonstrative. In everyday language, keresztet appears in phrases such as a keresztet felhelyezték a templom falára (the cross was placed on the church wall) or a keresztet visel (wearing a cross, as a symbol).

Etymology and usage context: kereszt derives from the Latin crux through historical Hungarian development. The word exists in several related forms in Hungarian, with kereszt committed to religious and symbolic meanings in modern usage. The form keresztet is specifically the singular definite object, used with verbs that take a definite direct object. The noun also participates in related expressions about crossing or christening when used with different verbs (for example, the verbs keresztelni or keresztezni refer to christening and crossing, respectively), but these are separate lexical items from the definite-object case of kereszt.

See also: cross (symbol) in Christian tradition; Hungarian grammar and definite direct object forms; related verbs such as keresztelni (to christen) and keresztezni (to cross, intersect).