From Jurchen, related to Manchu ᡥᡝᡶᡝᠯᡳ (hefeli, “belly”). Gyeongsang Korean 허불지 (heobulji) preserves the Tungusic final better.[1] The pan-Korean distribution and the existence of alternative Gyeongsang Korean 허욱다리 (heoukdari, “thigh”), showing pre-Middle Korean deletion of intervocalic /-p-/, strongly suggests an ancient borrowing before the fifteenth century.
The semantic shift was as follows: 허벅 (heobeok, “belly”, with diminutive suffix attached, still found in northern dialects) > 다리허벅 (dariheobeok, “inside of the thigh”, still found in northern dialects, literally “belly of the leg”) > 허벅지 (heobeokji, with clipping and additional Korean suffixation).[1]
The semantic shift is further supported by the existence of Early Modern Korean 다리ᄇᆡ (daribae, “inside of the thigh”, literally “belly of the leg”), with the same semantics but composed of native elements.[1]
Displaced native Middle Korean 싄다리 (Yale: suyn-tali).
| Romanizations | |
|---|---|
| Revised Romanization? | heobeokji |
| Revised Romanization (translit.)? | heobeogji |
| McCune–Reischauer? | hŏbŏkchi |
| Yale Romanization? | hepekci |
허벅지 • (heobeokji)