Where does “정신없다” come from?

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

정신없다 (Korean): (to be) scatterbrained, absent-minded

Definitions

  1. (to be) scatterbrained, absent-minded

Ancestry of “정신없다”, step by step

정신없다 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Korean 없다

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

via Korean 정신(精神)

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Korean정신(精神)—
Every word from Middle Korean 없다 →Every word from Korean 없다 →