fő

• IPA^(key): [ˈføː]

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -føː

From a variant form of fej (“head”). It changed its part of speech from noun to adjective.[1]

fő (comparative főbb, superlative legfőbb)

1. main, principal, key, chief, cardinal, core, most important

According to Tóth, Etelka (ed.). Magyar helyesírási szótár: A magyar helyesírás szabályai tizenkettedik kiadása szerint (’Dictionary of Hungarian Orthography: according to the 12th edition of the regulations of the Hungarian orthography’). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2017. →ISBN Online version, if this word is used in contrast with “vice-”, “deputy”, “auxiliary” or “subsidiary” (mellék-, al-), it is written without a space, e.g. főbejárat (“main entrance”), while in the sense “principal”, “primary”, “major”, “key”, or “most important”, it is written with a space, e.g. fő kérdés (“main question”)). This distinction was noticeable in the 10th and earlier editions of MHSz. (as shown e.g. in the word list of the 1973 edition) and it was clarified explicitly in the word list attached to the 11th edition of the regulation as well as in orthographic dictionaries reflecting this edition (e.g. 1999).

fő (plural fők)

1. (archaic) head

   emelt fővel ― with one's head held high

   főbe lő ― shoot someone in the head

   Synonym: fej

2. (formal) head(s), person(s), capita (counter for people)

   Ötszáz fő lakik ebben a faluban. ― There are 500 persons living in this village.

   egy főre eső/jutó bruttó hazai termék ― GDP per capita

   Synonyms: személy, ember, (literary) lélek

3. the main thing

   az a fő, hogy… ― the main thing is that…

   Synonym: lényeg

4. head (leader of a group or an organisation; usually in compounds)

   kormányfő ― head of government

   családfő ― head of the family, breadwinner

   Synonyms: vezető, élén

5. head (foremost part; usually in compounds)

   asztalfő ― head of table

   hétfő ― Monday (first day of the week)

   hídfő ― bridgehead

From Proto-Uralic *peje- (“to boil, cook”).[2][1]

fő

1. (intransitive) to boil, to cook (normally in water, as opposed to oil)

   Active-voice counterpart: főz

   Coordinate term: sül

(With verbal prefixes):

• (to cook): fő 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
• (head, main): fő 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