meggyilkolni

Meggyilkolni is a Hungarian verb meaning to murder, i.e., to deliberately cause the death of another person. It denotes intentional homicide and is distinct from ölni, which simply means to kill and can refer to any killing, not necessarily with criminal intent or malice. In legal usage meggyilkolni is often contrasted with killing in self-defense or accidental killing; the noun form for the act is meggyilkolás and the noun for the killer is gyilkos. The prefix meg- combined with gyilkol- (to kill) yields a perfective infinitive: meggyilkolni. The related adjective gyilkos describes the killer.

In Hungarian criminal law, the act corresponds to gyilkosság (murder). It is a serious offense, with penalties determined by circumstances such as intent, premeditation, victims, and aggravating factors; there are aggravated forms described as minősített gyilkosság or similar terms in statutory language. The law distinguishes varying degrees of culpability, including premeditated murder and cases where life is taken under other circumstances. For example: A férfit meggyilkolták means The man was murdered.

Usage notes: Meggyilkolni appears in formal, legal, and journalistic contexts. In everyday speech, speakers may use gyilkolni or other phrases to describe killing, depending on precision and tone. See also gyilkosság, ölni, gyilkos, meggyilkolás.