오물쪼물
Korean
Etymology
Of native Korean origin. Probably related to 오물오물 (omuromul, “murmuringly”).
Ideophone
오물쪼물 • (omuljjomul)
- (rhyme reduplicative) quite indecisively, quite hesitantly (generally not very critical)
Derived terms
- 오물쪼물하다 (omuljjomulhada): to behave quite indecisively, quite hesitantly
Usage notes
오물쪼물 (omuljjomul) is the yang vowel, or bright vowel, form of 우물쭈물 (umuljjumul).
In contemporary Korean, the yang vowels refer to /a/, /ɛ/, and /o/. In Korean ideophones and sensory words, forms with these vowels have a connotation of brightness, smallness, clearness, sharpness, youth, or positiveness.