Where does “못나다” come from?

못나다 (Korean) comes from Korean 못, from Middle Korean 몯, from Old Korean 毛冬 — cannot; poorly.

못나다 (Korean): (to be) ugly, bad-looking

Definitions

  1. (to be) ugly, bad-looking

Ancestry of “못나다”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Korean못nail, peg, spike; callosity, callus, corn; pond
2Middle Korean몯—
3Old Korean毛冬cannot; poorly
Every word from Old Korean 毛冬 →Every word from Middle Korean 몯 →Every word from Korean 못 →