낮다

First attested as Late Old Korean 捺則 in the Jīlín lèishì (鷄林類事 / 계림유사), 1103. First attested in the Gugeupbang eonhae (救急方諺解 / 구급방언해), 1466, as Middle Korean ᄂᆞᆽ다〮 (Yale: nòc-tá).

However, 15th century attestations of ᄂᆞᆽ다 (nocta) only appear in the sense "to subside (of a swelling)". The sense "to be low" only appears since the 1570s, which suggests that it is a back-formation from ᄂᆞᄌᆞᆨᄒᆞ다 (nocokhota, “to be low”) or ᄂᆞᆺ갑다 (noskapta, “to be low”).^[1]

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key):
• Phonetic hangul:

낮다 • (natda) (infinitive 낮아, sequential 낮으니)

1. to be low (in height, in value)

   Antonym: 높다 (nopda, “to be high”)

   낮은 울타리

   najeun ultari

   a low fence

   합격 가능성이 낮다.

   Hapgyeok ganeungseong-i natda.

   The chance of passing the examination is low.

   올해 물가지수가 작년에 비해 낮은 편이다.

   Olhae mulgajisu-ga jangnyeon-e bi-hae najeun pyeon-ida.

   This year the price index is lower than last year.

• 난쟁이 (nanjaeng'i, “dwarf”)