gumiho

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Korean 구미호 (gumiho, “nine-tailed fox”).

Noun

gumiho (plural gumihos or gumiho)

1. (Korean mythology) A shape-shifting fox spirit, typically said to take the form of a beautiful woman, in order to seduce men and eat their livers.
   • 2012, “Translation Notes”, in Laon, volume 5, unnumbered page:

     Gumihos are able to transform into human form, generally beautiful women, in order to seduce men.

   • 2016, Theresa Bane, Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore‎^[1], page 146:

     In their human guise the gumiho will seduce a man, kill him, and then consume his liver.

   • 2020, Kat Cho, Vicious Spirits‎^[2], pages 15–16:

     Somin had grown up hearing stories about gumiho—nine-tailed foxes with the ability to live forever as long as they devoured the energy of men.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:gumiho.

See also

• kitsune