Scherer Péter betegsége és halála – kollégák visszaemlékezései

What does “elhunyt” mean in Hungarian?

Where everyday Hungarian says meghalt (died), the press, eulogies and official notices reach for elhunyt — “passed away.” It is the respectful, elevated register: you read “elhunyt” in obituaries, hear it on the news, and use it of a public figure or someone you wish to honor. As a noun “az elhunyt” means “the deceased.” Saying “meghalt” of a beloved actor on air would sound jarringly blunt.

The clip, reporting an actor’s death, threads the polite register throughout: “elhunyt”, “a lesújtó hír” (the devastating news), “megrendült az egészsége” (his health gave way). Note that elhunyt is a -huny verb (to close one’s eyes / to die out), so its very root is already a soft euphemism — the eyes closing — long before the word reaches a funeral notice.