거룩

Korean

Etymology

From Middle Korean 거륵 (keluk). Originally glossed as a reading of the hanja 偉, so the original meaning could have been wider, spreading to "great", "magnificent".

Further etymology is obscure. Possibly related to an element found in a Balhae royal title (perhaps representing the Goguryeo language of the Balhae elite), recorded in first-millennium Chinese sources as 可毒 (MC khaX dowk) as part of the royal title 可毒夫, glossed as 聖王 “holy king”.

Pronunciation

(SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [kʌ̹ɾuk̚]
Phonetic hangul: [거룩]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization^?	georuk
Revised Romanization (translit.)^?	geolug
McCune–Reischauer^?	kŏruk
Yale Romanization^?	kelwuk

Noun

거룩 • (georuk)

holiness, sacrality, sacredness

Derived terms