oltó

Oltó is a Hungarian term that appears in several different contexts, connected by the general idea of eliminating danger or disease. In everyday language, it most commonly emerges in compounds related to extinguishing or protection.

In the firefighting and safety domain, oltó functions as part of compounds that denote agents or roles involved in extinguishing fires. The familiar tűzoltó means firefighter, someone who fights fires. Other related formations include vízoltó, commonly referring to a lifeguard or water-rescuer, and poroltó or haboltó, terms for powder- or foam-based extinguishing devices. In this usage, oltó conveys the sense of an entity or device that stops or suppresses a threat.

In medicine and immunology, oltó appears in words referring to vaccination and immunization. Oltóanyag denotes a vaccine material or substance used to induce immunity, and oltás refers to the act of immunization. Here, oltó is part of a different semantic field, linked to preventing disease rather than to fighting fires. These meanings reflect distinct historical developments and etymologies within Hungarian, even though they share the same orthography.

Oltó can also appear as a surname or in place names, though such uses are uncommon and highly context-dependent. In Hungarian sources, the term is most notable for its roles in fire safety terminology (tűzoltó, vízoltó, poroltó) and vaccination vocabulary (oltóanyag, oltás).

See also: tűzoltó, vízoltó, poroltó, haboltó, oltóanyag, oltás.