Where does “못생기다” come from?

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

못생기다 (Korean): to be or become ugly, unattractive

Definitions

  1. to be or become ugly, unattractive

Ancestry of “못생기다”, step by step

못생기다 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Korean 못

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Korean못nail, peg, spike; callosity, callus, corn; pond
2Middle Korean몯—
3Old Korean毛冬cannot; poorly

via Korean 생기다

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Korean생기다to emerge; for something to appear where it had...
Every word from Old Korean 毛冬 →Every word from Middle Korean 몯 →Every word from Korean 못 →