Hungarian

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Etymology

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From el- (perfective prefix) +‎ kopik.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): [ˈɛlkopik]
  • Hyphenation: el‧ko‧pik
  • Rhymes: -ik

Verb

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elkopik

  1. (intransitive, of an object) to wear out (to become threadbare, to get thin from wear)
  2. (intransitive, of the human body) to wear out (to deteriorate over time due to continued use, exposure, or strain)
  3. (intransitive, figurative) to go stale (to lose its glamour)

Usage notes

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This verb is called a pseudo-ik verb, as its -ik ending presents itself only in the 3rd-person singular (indicative present) form, but it is not an -ik verb in any other aspect. As a result, it cannot take the -om/-em/-öm ending in the 1st-person singular (indicative present) form, even in the most erudite style, only -ok/-ek/-ök. Naturally, the optional -m ending cannot appear, either, in their subjunctive or conditional 1st-person singular forms, so only -jak/-jek and -nék is possible in these respective forms. These verbs include the following: bomlik, (el)bújik, (meg)érik, (le)folyik, (össze)gyűlik, hazudik, (le)hull(ik), (bele)/(oda)illik, (meg)jelenik, (el)kopik, (el)múlik, ömlik, (meg)születik, (meg)szűnik, (meg)telik, tojik, (el)törik, (el)/(fel)tűnik, (el)válik, and (el)züllik. (Ki)nyílik partially belongs here, as it cannot take the first-person -om ending but it can take the third-person -jék.

Conjugation

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Further reading

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  • elkopik in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
  • elkopik in Nóra Ittzés, editor, A magyar nyelv nagyszótára [A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (Nszt.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published a–ez as of 2024).