아옥

Middle Korean

Etymology

Inherited from Old Korean 阿夫 (*apwo(k?)), as in Old Korean 阿夫實 (*apwo-psi, “Chinese mallow seed”), attested in the Hyangyak gugeupbang (鄕藥救急方 / 향약구급방). This attestation, alongside the existence of more conservative dialectal forms, suggests that this term underwent the /p > W > w/ chain shift. Pre-Hangeul Middle Korean sources such as the Hyang'yak chaechwi wollyeong, December (鄕藥採取月令, 12月 / 향약채취월령, 12월), 1431, and Hyang'yak jipseongbang (鄕藥集成方 / 향약집성방), 1433, feature the spelling 阿郁 (*awuk~awok), showing that the chain shift happened relatively early.

Ultimately, seems to be a Mongolic borrowing, shifted from some earlier *abuga. Compare Classical Mongolian ᠠᠪᠤᠭ᠎ᠠ (abug-a, “shepherd's purse”), Manchu ᠠᠪᡠᡥᠠ (abuha, “shepherd's purse”), Japanese 葵(あおい) (aoi, “Chinese mallow”). Given the attestation above and this term's wide distribution in modern-day dialects, this would be an exceptionally early example of Mongolic loanage, predating the Mongol invasions of Korea.

It must be noted that there is an alternate form, 아혹〮 (àhwók), that cannot be explained through this analysis. Middle Korean-internally, one may ascribe the alternation to simple respelling by analogy; compare for instance 사ᄒᆞᆯ (sahol)~사ᄋᆞᆯ (saol) and 나ᄒᆞᆯ (nahol)~나ᄋᆞᆯ (naol), which show /h/ would already have underwent intervocalic voicing or deletion in this position. However, modern forms with a medial velar are sparse but existent—e.g. Korean (Southern Jeolla) 아궁 (agung). These forms may hint at an early /*k~*p/ alternation, which only later lenited to /h~*W>w/.

Pronunciation

• (Morphophonemic) IPA^(key): ⫽àók⫽

Noun

아옥〮 (àwók)

1. Chinese mallow (Malva verticillata) (plant and vegetable)
   • 1466, 구급방언해 [gugeupbang'eonhae], volume 下, page 84a:

     아옥〮 ᄡᅵ〮 두〯 홉과〮 黃(ᅘᅪᇰ)明(며ᇰ)膠(교ᇢ)와〮 滑(화ᇙ〮)石(씨〮)ㅅ ᄀᆞᄅᆞ 各(각〮) ᄒᆞᆫ 兩(랴ᇰ〯)ᄋᆞᆯ〮

     àwók psí twǔ hwòp-kwá HHWÀNG.MYÈNG.KYWÒW-wá HWÁLQ.SSÍ-s kòlò KÁK hòn LYǍNG-ól

     With two hops (~360mL) of Chinese mallow seeds and a nyang (~37.5g) each of ox skin gelatin and powdered talc ...

Alternate forms

• 아혹〮 (àhwók)

Descendants

• Korean: 아욱 (auk)