# Jászapáti, Kúncsorba: Hungarian Place-Names & Their Meaning



## Hugo de Toronja

I'm reading Patrick Leigh Fermor's wonderful _Between the Woods and the Water_, a memoir of the author's long trip, often on foot, through Hungary and Rumania in the early 1930s.

In a section of the book where he enters the Alföld, or the Great Hungarian Plain, he pauses by the Tisza river to study his map and think about the region's remarkable history.

What strikes him is how many of the local place-names seem to contain artifacts of the Alföld's ancient past:

The Kún- in Kúncsorba, for example, recalling the Cuman people who settled on the plain in the mid-13th century.

The Jás- in Jászapáti reaching even further back in time, recalling the Jazyges, a Persian-speaking people who'd been troublesome to the Romans.

Given the depth and complexity of Hungarian history, I wondered if Hungarian-speakers in general would agree with Patrick Leigh Fermor's interpretation of these place names, or if these place names would be meaningful only to people who lived in or near these places.


----------



## francisgranada

I think the place-names containing Kún, Jász, Tót, Rác ... are "understandable" for most (all?) of the native Hungarians, in the sense that these words mean ethnonyms (or names of historical tribes and populations). Of course, it's another thing if one also knows the origin and the history of those populations ...


----------



## Ateesh6800

Hi!

- *Kun* does indeed mean _Cuman_.
- *Kuncsorba* (w/o accent) is indeed a composit name: *Kun + Csorba* (the latter comes from *Csorbajánosszállás* or _"the farm of a man called John Csorba"_, the latter being an adjective that means _"lacking teeth"_ or _"having one or several broken teeth"_.
- *Kun* is a reference to the fact that *Csorba(jánosszállás)* is located within the region *Nagy-Kunság*, related to the expression _Cumani Maiores_ in medieval latin; it was indeed an area inhabited by Comans who did not flee even after 1526, Mohács, when the Ottoman Turks occupied much of the country.
- Source: Kiss Lajos, Földrajzi nevek etimológiai szótára / Etymological dictionary of geographical names (toponyms?).
- Most people, and certainly most educated people know that Kunság is a reference to the Cuman people.

*A.*


----------



## Ateesh6800

- *Jász* (the letter combination sz means the IPA sound [s]) does indeed mean the _Jazyges_.
- *Jászapáti* is indeed a composit name: *Jász** + Apáti* (the latter comes from *Apát(ság)* as the landlord of the settlement was the abbot/abbey of Abasári.
- *Jász* is a reference to the fact that *Jászapáti* is located within the region *Jászság*; it was indeed an area inhabited by the Jazyges.
- Source: Kiss Lajos, Földrajzi nevek etimológiai szótára / Etymological dictionary of geographical names (toponyms?).
- Most people, and certainly most educated people know that Jászság is a reference to the Jazyg people.

Added insight: as Hungarian look for their identity once again, there are new grassroot movements to reinforce the cultural identity of both groups, even though this is about the same as promoting Celtic culture in Cantabria (that is, we are talking about a past long gone by and definitely not an ethnic minority with its own living language and culture).

*A.*


----------



## Hugo de Toronja

I would like to thank all of you for your interesting responses to my odd question.

Living in a part of the New World where many places have non-Indo-European toponyms, I'm usually able to identify which indigenous group established a village or town, or settled a certain region.

(Although it's not always possible to understand *why* a given group gave a place its name. Something like "*Place of Many Rabbits*" is, of course, easy to figure out. But something like "*I Will Break Your Jaw*" remains a mystery, even to the descendants of the original name-givers.)

What's fascinating, to me, about Hungary, is that it not only has so many layers of history, but that so many _different_ kinds of people have passed through, or settled in, the area now known as Hungary. Yes, I knew about the Ottomans. _They _didn't surprise me. But _Persian-speaking_ people? I had no idea! Amazing!

Fermor's book, _and your helpful answers_, have made me want to start planning a vacation in Hungary. (It's reassuring to know that Hungarians have taken a renewed interest in their history and won't think, _"Why is this *crazy* American bothering me with his *stupid* questions?!"_ when my enthusiasm and curiosity overwhelm me.)

Once again, _thank you_ for taking the time to answer me.


----------



## Ateesh6800

We all have truckloads of stupid questions.  And the most fascinating one are the least important. 

*A.*


----------

