múlttól

Múlttól is a Hungarian temporal postposition meaning “from the past.” It is formed from the noun múlt, meaning the past, plus the suffix -tól, which marks a starting point in time. The combination results in muláttól, a form written with a doubled t due to the phonological blending of the stem and the suffix.

The word functions as a time-reference marker in sentences and phrases, indicating that an action or period begins in the past and continues from that point. It is primarily used in formal or written Hungarian, such as historiography, literary analysis, and other contexts that involve timing and chronology. In everyday speech, speakers may favor more common expressions like from the past or from previous times, but muláttól appears in more scholarly or technical writing.

Usage and examples:

- Múlttól számított tíz év telt el. (Ten years have passed since the start of that past point.)

- A kutatás muláttól napjainkig terjedő összefüggéseket vizsgál. (The research examines the relationships spanning from the past to the present.)

Relation to other expressions:

Múlttól contrasts with forms such as múltból (“out of the past”) and is often paired with continuation markers like kezdve or fogva to specify duration (for example, muláttól kezdve, muláttól fogva). It conveys a sense of temporal origin rather than mere origin or cause. The spelling muláttól reflects the assimilation of the final -t from the stem with the -tól suffix.

See also: Hungarian temporal postpositions, grammar of time expressions, historiography terminology.