바보

Etymology
First attested in 's Korean-English Dictionary, 1897. The etymology is unclear. The second element is clearly the derogatory agentive suffix (cf.  > ), but the first element is uncertain. Two hypotheses have been suggested :


 * Dropping of the final consonant in, with the original meaning of "one who does nothing but eat". There is a vowel length mismatch, however, although this could be compensatory for the consonant loss.
 * A connection to, ultimately from , with premature birth implied. The dropping of the final syllables is not clearly motivated, however.

Noun

 * 1)  fool, moron, idiot