Where does “소용없다” come from?

소용없다 (Korean) comes from Korean 없다, from Middle Korean 없다.

소용없다 (Korean): to be useless, unavailing, vain, of no use

Definitions

  1. to be useless, unavailing, vain, of no use

Ancestry of “소용없다”, step by step

소용없다 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Korean 없다

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Korean없다to have none; lacking; nonexistent; to die
2Middle Korean없다—

via Korean 소용(所用)

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Korean소용(所用)—
Every word from Middle Korean 없다 →Every word from Korean 없다 →