A Hungarian word used worldwide: Kocsi

This five letter word is of Hungarian origin; however, it is used in various forms in other languages around the globe, says hvg.hu. Let’s see its origins and how far it has come until this day.

Kocsi meant a vehicle pulled by horses for centuries, but since the emergence of automobiles, it is commonly used as a synonym for cars as well. It is one of the few Hungarian words adopted by other languages.

Among others, the following languages use a form of kocsi: English – coach, Czech – kocár, Flemish – goetse, French – cocher, Catalonian – cotxe, Polish – kotz, German – kutsche, Italian – cocchio, Spanish – coche, Swedish – kusk, Slovak – koc and the Slovenian – kocíja.

But where does the word come from exactly? Well,

according to the tradition, it originates in a settlement in Komárom-Esztergom county, namely Kocs,