English words that are derived from the Hungarian language

Many Hungarian words are taken from different languages. There are also words of French, Turkish and German origin. Of course, many Hungarian words have English origins. But is there a reverse way, are there words in English with Hungarian origins? The answer is yes, and in this article we present some of them.

Biro

László József Bíró lived between 1899 and 1985. He was a Hungarian journalist, painter and inventor. His best-known invention was the ballpoint pen. Others had experimented earlier, but László Bíró was responsible for the spread and development of the modern instrument. Bíró recognised that the ink used to print newspapers dried faster and remained on the paper without smudging. Thus Bíró’s name became synonymous with the ballpoint pen.

Czardas

The Csárdás is a traditional Hungarian folk dance. The name comes from the word csárda, meaning tavern. The Csárdás is the most characteristic Hungarian dance style. The dance originated in Hungary but quickly became popular in the surrounding regions. The origin of the dance dates back to the 18th century. The Csárdás is characterised by the alternation of rhythm. After a slow tempo start comes the fast, happy part. The musical themes of the couples’ dance were used in the music of Ferenc Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Johannes Brams and others.