Where does “あろうことか” come from?

あろうことか (Japanese) comes from Japanese か, from Japanese いつか — sometime, at some point.

あろうことか (Japanese): very astonishing and appalling

Definitions

  1. very astonishing and appalling

Ancestry of “あろうことか”, step by step

あろうことか traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese か

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japaneseかfinal interrogative particle, similar to a...
2Japaneseいつかsometime, at some point

via Japanese ある

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japaneseある有る, 在る to exist; 有る, 在る to happen
2Japaneseあり有り existing; 蟻 ant

via Japanese 事

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese事thing, fact, event; thing; stuff; abstract thing
2Middle Chinese事—
Every word from Japanese いつか →Every word from Japanese か →