szóösszetételt

Szóösszetétel, often translated as word composition or compounding, is a linguistic process in Hungarian where two or more independent words are joined together to form a new, single word. This new word typically has a meaning that is distinct from the sum of its parts, or it modifies the meaning of one of the constituent words.

The process of szóösszetétel is very productive in Hungarian and contributes significantly to the language's vocabulary. It can involve nouns, adjectives, verbs, or adverbs, and the resulting compound word can function as any of these parts of speech. The order of the constituent words is usually fixed, with the modifying word preceding the headword, similar to how adjectives modify nouns in English. For example, 'kék' (blue) and 'szem' (eye) combine to form 'kékszem' (blue eye).

There are different types of szóösszetétel, including those where the relationship between the words is explicit, such as possessive (e.g., 'házszám' - house number, literally "house-number") or attributive (e.g., 'vasút' - railway, literally "iron-road"). Other compounds might have a more idiomatic or specialized meaning. Hyphenation is sometimes used, particularly for compounds that are still perceived as distinct units or for clarity, but many become fully integrated as single words over time. Szóösszetétel is a fundamental mechanism for word formation and expansion in the Hungarian language.