értelm

értelm is a historical or dialectal Hungarian noun that denotes sense, meaning, or significance. It is primarily found in older texts and regional varieties, and it is seldom used in contemporary standard Hungarian, where értelem serves as the common term for “meaning.”

Etymology and relation to related forms are generally described in linguistic sources as a variant of értelem, sharing the same semantic field derived from érteni, “to understand.” Because Hungarian vocabulary underwent standardization in the 18th and 19th centuries, értelm is typically treated as part of the historical layer of the language, rather than as a current lexical item.

Attestation and usage are mainly found in early modern glossaries, codices, and dialect sketches. In these sources, értelm appears in discussions of what a word, text, or action signifies, rather than in everyday modern prose. The form illustrates how pre-standard Hungarian accommodated nuanced semantic notions with spellings and morphemes that later stabilized into modern értelem.

Orthography varied before standardized spelling, so értelm can appear alongside other variant spellings in manuscript and early print culture. In present linguistic reference works, értelm is typically noted as archaic or dialectal, with értelem and related derivatives taking precedence in standard usage.

See also: értelem, érteni, jelentés, meaning in Hungarian.