What does “habverő” mean in Hungarian?

Habverő is hab (“foam”) plus verő (“beater”) — a foam-beater. That -ó / -ő ending is Hungarian’s tool-making machine: take a verb, add it, and you have the thing that does the job. Kitchen drawers across Hungary are full of these transparent names, which means you can usually work out a utensil from its two halves before anyone tells you.

Porszívó is a “dust-sucker” (vacuum cleaner), dugóhúzó a “cork-puller” (corkscrew), konzervnyitó a tin-opener, hűtő a “cooler” (fridge), fagyasztó a freezer, mosogató a “washer” (kitchen sink). The same ending also makes people and events: tanító (teacher), rendező (director), találkozó (a meeting). And hab on its own is what you whip — tejszínhab is whipped cream.