Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
머리. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
머리, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
머리 in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
머리 you have here. The definition of the word
머리 will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
머리, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Korean
Etymology
First attested in the Yongbi eocheon'ga (龍飛御天歌 / 용비어천가), 1447, as Middle Korean 머리〮 (Yale: mèlí).
Also attested in the Worin cheon'gangjigok (月印千江之曲 / 월인천강지곡), 1449, as Middle Korean 마리〮 (Yale: màlí).
Originally identical to the modern animal classifier 마리 (mari).
Beyond Middle Korean, attested in the twelfth-century Jilin leishi word-list as 麻帝 (má dì) *mati, thus a case of intervocalic lenition. Perhaps cognate with Middle Korean ᄆᆞᆮ (mot, “eldest child”), modern 맏이 (maji).
Pronunciation
| Romanizations |
|---|
| Revised Romanization? | meori |
|---|
| Revised Romanization (translit.)? | meoli |
|---|
| McCune–Reischauer? | mŏri |
|---|
| Yale Romanization? | meli |
|---|
South Gyeongsang (Busan) pitch accent: 머리의 / 머리에 / 머리까지
Syllables in red take high pitch. This word always takes high pitch only on the first syllable, and lowers the pitch of subsequent suffixes.
Noun
머리 • (meori)
- head
- intelligence
- hair
- the leader of a group
- the radical at the top of a Chinese character
- the top or front of an object
Derived terms
See also
References
- National Institute of the Korean Language (Naver.com mirror) (2006 December 31 (last accessed)) “머리 [meori]”, in 표준국어대사전 [pyojun'gugeodaesajeon]
- Seo Jeong-beom (서정범) (2000) “머리 [meori]”, in 國語語源辭典, Seoul: Bogosa Books, page 246