Where does “알거지” come from?

알거지 (Korean) comes from Korean 알, from Middle Korean 앓.

알거지 (Korean): a penniless person

Definitions

  1. a penniless person

Ancestry of “알거지”, step by step

알거지 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Korean 알

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Korean알egg, roe; grain; ball
2Middle Korean앓—

via Korean 거지

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Korean거지beggar, bum, vagrant, vagabond, hobo, panhandler
2Chinese乞to beg
Every word from Middle Korean 앓 →