Where does “공연히” come from?

공연히 (Korean) comes from Korean -히, from Korean —이, from Middle Korean 이 — person.

공연히 (Korean): vainly, in vain, for nothing

Definitions

  1. vainly, in vain, for nothing

Ancestry of “공연히”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Korean-히ly; an adverb-deriving suffix, attaching primarily to adjectives formed by the light verb
2Korean—이For non-honorific nouns ending in consonants, the nominative case particle marking it as the subject of a verb or adjective; see also Usage Notes
3Middle Korean이person
Every word from Middle Korean 이 →