-것-

Korean

Etymology

See the main entry.

Suffix

것 • (-geot-)

1. Obsolete and southern dialectal form of 겠 (-get-, confirmative suffix).
   • 1908, 이인직 [iinjik], 雉(치)岳(악)山(산), volume I, page 32:

     ᄀᆡ화ᄒᆞᆫ 아들 잇것다 ᄀᆡ화ᄒᆞᆫ 며누리 잇것다 집이 잘 되지 망ᄒᆞᆯ 리가 있소

     gaehwa-han adeul it-geot-da gaehwa-han myeonuri it-geot-da jib-i jal doeji mang-hal ri-ga itso

     We do have a Westernized son, we do have a Westernized daughter-in-law; of course our family will do well, how on earth could it go to ruin?

Usage notes

• The dialectal word is now usually written 겄 (-geot-), which is also an etymologically separate suffix marking the future. Since the confirmative suffix in question always occurs before 다 (-da), it cannot be discerned whether this is true on a phonological level or simply orthographic conflation of the two suffixes.