설

First attested in the Worin seokbo (月印釋譜 / 월인석보), 1459, as Middle Korean 설〯 (Yale: sěl).

The word originally meant both "New Year" and "year of age". The two terms are connected; in Korea, one gains a new year of age at every New Year (so that all people born in the same year have the same age). In the eighteenth century, speakers created the new term 살 (sal, “year of age”) by using a yang-vowel alternation of 설 (seol). 설 (seol) and 살 (sal) are one of a number of Korean noun pairs with yin-yang vowel alternation which were originally the same word.

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [sʰɘ(ː)ɭ]
• Phonetic hangul: [설(ː)]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

• South Gyeongsang (Busan) pitch accent: 설의 / 설에 / 설까지

  Syllables in red take high pitch. This word always takes low pitch, and heightens the pitch of two subsequent suffixed syllables.

설 • (seol)

1. Korean New Year

   Synonyms: 설날 (seollal), 구정(舊正) (gujeong)

   설이면 온 가족이 모여서 윷놀이를 하곤 한다. ― Seor-i-myeon on gajog-i moyeoseo yunnori-reul hagon handa. ― On New Year's Day, the entire family would gather to play yunnori.

• 섣달 (seotdal)

Sino-Korean word from 說.

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [sʰʌ̹ɭ]
• Phonetic hangul: [설]

설 • (seol) (hanja 說)

1. theory; opinion, view
2. rumour

• 썰 (sseol)

설 • (seol) (hanja 說)

1. Root of 설(說)하다 (seolhada, “to preach”). Rarely used alone.

—설 • (-seol) (hanja 說)

1. theory

   ‎지동(地動) (jidong, “Earth rotation”) + ‎설(說) (seol, “theory”) → ‎지동설(地動說) (jidongseol, “Heliocentric theory”)

• See the hanja entry at 說 for Sino-Korean compounds of 설 (說, seol).

• Korean terms suffixed with -설 (說)

• IPA^(key): /sə̌l/

설〯 (sěl) (locative 서〯레〮 (sěl-éy))

1. year of age
   • 1459, 月印釋譜 / 월인석보 [Worin seokbo], page 8:101b:

     죠〯ᅌᅵ〮 ᄒᆞᆫ〮 아ᄃᆞ〮ᄅᆞᆯ〮 나하〮ᄂᆞᆯ〮 그 아〮기〮 닐굽〮 설〯 머거〮 […]

     cywǒng-í hón àtól-ól nàhánól kù ákí nìlkwúp sěl mèké

     The servant gives birth to a son, and the baby grows to be seven years old […]

2. New Year
   • 1459, 月印釋譜 / 월인석보 [Worin seokbo], pages 2:68b–69a:

     道(또ᇢ〯)士(ᄊᆞᆼ〯)ᄃᆞᆯ〮히〮 서〯레〮 님〯금〮 뵈〯ᅀᆞ〮ᄫᅩ라〮 모다〮 왯〮다가〮 […]

     TTWǑW.SSǑ-tólh-í sěl-éy nǐmkúm pwǒyzóWwòlá mwòtá wáystàká

     When the priests gathered to see the king for the New Year […]

• Korean: 설 (seol, “New Year”), 살 (sal, “year of age”)