From Middle Korean 가옷 (ka.wos). Cognate to Korean 가웃 (gaut)
| Romanizations | |
|---|---|
| Revised Romanization? | gaut |
| Revised Romanization (translit.)? | gaus |
| Yale Romanization? | kawus |
가웃 (gaut)
The Korean word 가웃 (gaut) is believed to be etymologically related to the archaic forms for "middle" or "center," particularly 가운데 (gaunde, "middle") and its older variant 가온대 (gaondae). While the independent use of 가온 (gaon) is not attested in historical texts, it is generally reconstructed as a back-formation from 가온대, with the suffix -대 (← ᄃᆡ) being an archaic form of the native word for "place" (modern 데) and thus semantically plausible as a compound. However, no compound words are attested in which 가온 appears independently; all known examples involve the full form 가온대. If this derivation is correct, 가온 would be an instance of reanalysis or back-formation.
Some linguists, notably Yang Ju-dong, have proposed that 가웃 (gaut, "half") shares the same root as 가온 and 가운데, with the addition of the locative suffix ᄃᆡ, yielding 가운데. There is also a theory connecting 가운데 to the word 가위 (gawi), which refers to the harvest festival Chuseok and is attested in Silla-period texts as 가ᄇᆡ (嘉俳), suggesting a possible shared origin in a hypothesized verb *갑다. This verb is thought to have yielded various forms: *가ᄇᆞᆫ (adnominal form), *가ᄫᆞᆫ (later becoming 가온), and, with the addition of -ᄃᆡ, 가운데.
In summary, 가웃 is considered a native Korean word, likely derived from the same root as 가운데 and 가온, all ultimately traceable to a hypothesized verb *갑다. These words share both semantic and phonological similarities, supporting the view that 가웃, 가운데, and 가위 are etymologically connected. The formation of 가온 as a root, though not directly attested in old texts, is linguistically plausible and distinct from more recent pseudo-archaic coinages.
| Romanizations | |
|---|---|
| Revised Romanization? | gaut |
| Revised Romanization (translit.)? | gaus |
| McCune–Reischauer? | kaut |
| Yale Romanization? | kawus |
가웃 • (gaut)