Etymology 1
First attested in the Hunminjeong'eum haerye (訓民正音解例 / 훈민정음해례), 1446, as Middle Korean 실〯 (Yale: sǐl), from disyllabic Old Korean 糸利 (*SIli) attested as an element in a sixth-century personal name.[1] Cognate with Jeju 씰 (ssil).
Possibly an ancient pre-Sino-Korean borrowing from Old Chinese 絲 (OC *slɯ, “silk”).[2] If so, related to Ancient Greek Σήρ (Sḗr, “China”), English silk.
Pronunciation
- (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key): [ɕʰi(ː)ɭ]
- Phonetic hangul: [실(ː)]
- Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.
More information Romanizations, Revised Romanization? ...
| Romanizations |
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| Revised Romanization? | sil |
|---|
| Revised Romanization (translit.)? | sil |
|---|
| McCune–Reischauer? | sil |
|---|
| Yale Romanization? | sīl |
|---|
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Noun
실 • (sil)
- thread, yarn, string
- 실을 감다 ― sir-eul gamda ― to wind thread
- 실이 엉키다 ― sir-i eongkida ― For strings to be entangled
- 실을 바늘에 꿰다 ― sir-eul baneur-e kkweda ― To thread a needle (with a thread).
- 실 다섯 타래 ― sil daseot tarae ― five skeins of thread
어제 실로 참 예쁜 양말을 꿰맸어요.- Eoje sillo cham yeppeun yangmar-eul kkwemaesseoyo.
- Yesterday, I sewed together really pretty socks with string.
- (figurative) a narrow thing, a thin object
- (Gyeongsang, Harbin) 씰 (ssil)
Derived terms
- 실 가는 데 바늘도 간다 (sil ganeun de baneuldo ganda, “Wherever a thread goes, a needle follows”)
- 실 엉킨 것은 풀어도 노 엉킨 것은 못 푼다 (sil eongkin geoseun pureodo no eongkin geoseun mot punda, “While small problems can easily be solved, bigger problems may be much more difficult”)
- 실 한 오리 안 걸치다 (sil han ori an geolchida, “to get completely naked”)
- 실고기 (silgogi, “pipefish”)
- 실눈 (sillun, “half-shut eye”)
- 실마리 (silmari, “beginning of a thread; clue”)
- 실바람 (silbaram, “wisp of wind, breeze”)
- 실반대 (silbandae, “coil of cotton”)
- 실밥 (silbap, “bits of thread”)
- 실뱀 (silbaem, “thin snake”)
- 실뱅어 (silbaeng'eo, “short icefish”)
- 실에 꿴 바늘 따라오듯 (sire kkwen baneul ttaraodeut, “Like following a needle on a thread”)
- 실이 와야 바늘이 가지 (siri waya baneuri gaji, “one must give in order to receive”)
- 실톱 (siltop, “fretsaw”)
- 치실 (chisil, “dental floss”)
Etymology 2
Sino-Korean word from 失.
Pronunciation
More information Romanizations, Revised Romanization? ...
| Romanizations |
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| Revised Romanization? | sil |
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| Revised Romanization (translit.)? | sil |
|---|
| McCune–Reischauer? | sil |
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| Yale Romanization? | sil |
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Close
Etymology 3
Sino-Korean word from 室.
Pronunciation
More information Romanizations, Revised Romanization? ...
| Romanizations |
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| Revised Romanization? | sil |
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| Revised Romanization (translit.)? | sil |
|---|
| McCune–Reischauer? | sil |
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| Yale Romanization? | sil |
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Counter
실 • (sil) (hanja 室)
- Used to count the number of rooms
Etymology 4
Borrowed from English seal.
Pronunciation
More information Romanizations, Revised Romanization? ...
| Romanizations |
|---|
| Revised Romanization? | sil |
|---|
| Revised Romanization (translit.)? | sil |
|---|
| McCune–Reischauer? | ssil |
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| Yale Romanization? | qsil |
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Etymology 5
Korean reading of various Chinese characters.
References
이승재 [iseungjae] (2017) 木簡에 기록된 古代韓國語 [The Old Korean Language Inscribed on Wooden Tablets], Ilchogak, →ISBN, page 306 Edwin G. Pulleyblank (2011) Middle Chinese: A Study in Historical Phonology, University of British Columbia Press, →ISBN, page 26
Further reading
- Martin, Samuel E., Yang Ha Lee, Sung-Un Chang (1975) A Korean-English Dictionary, New Haven: Yale University Press, page 1055.