Élelmet

Élelmet is the accusative singular form of the Hungarian noun élelem, meaning food, provisions, or nourishment. It denotes sustenance needed to live and is used to refer to edible provisions, particularly in contexts describing supplies for people, animals, or military units, as well as in historical or literary registers.

In contemporary Hungarian, élelem is typically treated as a mass noun for food; élelmet is the form that appears when the noun functions as a direct object in a sentence. It is commonly used with verbs such as adni (to give), szállítani (to transport), osztani (to distribute), or vásárolni (to buy). Example: A katonáknak élelmet szállítottak. Élelmet vittek magukkal is a natural construction meaning “they carried food with them.”

Etymologically, élelem derives from a root related to life and sustenance; the precise historical origin is not uniformly detailed in mainstream references. The accusative form élelmet follows standard Hungarian inflection patterns for nominal bases of similar gender and class. In usage, the term remains common in everyday language as well as in historical, military, and literary contexts.

See also: élelem, food, nourishment.