Hungarian

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Etymology

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sem +‎ mikor

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): [ˈʃɛmːikor]
  • Hyphenation: sem‧mi‧kor
  • Rhymes: -or

Adverb

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semmikor

  1. never, at no time
    Synonyms: soha nem, sose(m), sohase(m)
    Mikor voltál nála? – Semmikor (se voltam).When did you visit him/her? – I never did.
    • 1881, Kálmán Mikszáth, Tót atyafiak [The Slovak Relations]
      [A természet] a tavaszt nyáron hozza meg nekik, a nyarat semmikor.
      [Nature] brings them spring in summer; summer, at no time.

Usage notes

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It is often used on its own as a standalone sentence or clause, otherwise in relation to the second or third negative word. It usually refers back to mikor or valamikor in the previous sentence or clause or the time specified by the context or situation, and expresses contrast with it.

Further reading

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  • semmikor 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