táplálékra

Táplálékra is the allative form of the Hungarian noun táplálék, which means nourishment or food. The base táplálék refers to sustenance consumed by living beings, whether in everyday language or scientific contexts. The suffix -ra/-re marks direction or reference toward something, and in Hungarian it is commonly used after certain verbs and expressions, such as szük­ség van valamire (“there is a need for something”). Therefore, táplálékra translates roughly as “for nourishment” or “for food,” depending on the surrounding expression.

In usage, táplálékra appears most often after the phrase szükség van or szüksége van, where it indicates what is needed. For example, A betegnek táplálékra van szüksége means “The patient needs nourishment/food.” In more general statements, one can encounter sentences like Táplálékra van szükség az egészség megőrzéséhez.” In ecological or biological contexts, táplálék also denotes the food that sustains an organism, but in everyday speech people usually use étel or táplálékot for the direct object, while táplálékra appears in constructions requiring the -ra/-re form.

Etymology: táplálék is formed from the verb táplálni (to nourish) with a nominalizing suffix, yielding a noun meaning nourishment or sustenance. The -ka/-kék suffix family in Hungarian often produces abstract or collective nouns related to a process or material, as in táplálék.

See also: táplálék, étel, tápláléklánc, táplálkozás.