Where does “먹구렁이” come from?
먹구렁이 (Korean) comes from Korean 먹, from Korean -보, from Middle Chinese 補.
먹구렁이 (Korean): Amur rat snake (Elaphe schrenckii)
Definitions
- Amur rat snake (Elaphe schrenckii)
Ancestry of “먹구렁이”, step by step
먹구렁이 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Korean 먹
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Korean | 먹 | ink stick |
| 2 | Korean | -보 | an agent noun-deriving suffix attached after a specific noun, verb, adjective or root |
| 3 | Middle Chinese | 補 | — |
via Korean 구렁이
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Korean | 구렁이 | A rat snake, particularly the Amur rat snake (Elaphe schrenckii), a large non-venomous snake formerly common in Korea |