életek

Életek is the plural form of the Hungarian noun élet, meaning life or lifespan. As a common noun, életek refers to multiple lives or lifespans, either in a literal sense (the lives of several people) or in a figurative sense (different periods or stages of life, or lifespans of institutions or eras). The word is used across everyday speech, journalism, and literature whenever a plurality of life is being discussed.

Morphology and usage: In Hungarian, élet is a basic noun and its plural nominative form is életek. The plural is formed with the suffix -ek, and the word can appear in various grammatical cases just like other Hungarian nouns. Életek can be combined with numerals, adjectives, and other modifiers to describe multiple lives or lifespans.

Semantics: The term encompasses both concrete references to the lives of individuals and abstract or collective notions of life across groups, generations, or time. It can also appear in discussions about the duration or quality of lifespans, or in literary and rhetorical contexts to evoke themes of mortality, continuity, and change.

In Hungarian text, életek is common enough to appear in news, essays, and fiction whenever the concept of multiple lives or lifespans is relevant. It is closely related to the singular élet and to phrases that discuss life in general or the lives of people.

See also: élete, élet, mortality, lifespan, life expectancy.