Etymology 1
Possibly related to Baekje 斯麻 (*syema, “island”) and Japanese 島 (shima, “island”).[1]
Noun
셤〯 (syěm)
- island
1447, “Stanza 67”, in 龍飛御天歌 / 용비어천가 [Yongbi Eocheon'ga]:셤〯 안해〮 자〮시ᇙ 제〮 한〮비〮 사ᄋᆞ〮리로ᄃᆡ〮 뷔〯어ᅀᅡ〮 ᄌᆞ〮ᄆᆞ니〮ᅌᅵ다〮- syěm ành-áy cásìlq céy hánpí sàól-ì-lwòtóy pwǔyGèzá cómòníngìtá
- When [General Yi] stationed [his troops] on [Wihwa] Island, heavy rain fell for three days; only after [they] cleared themselves away from it, the [island] was submerged.
Descendants
- Early Modern Korean: 셤 (syem), 섬 (sem)
- Jeju: 섬 (seom)
Etymology 2
Counter
셤〮 (syém)
- a seom, a unit of volume
1481, “君不見簡蘇徯 / 군불견간소혜”, in 分類杜工部詩諺解 / 분류두공부시언해 [Bullyu Dugongbu Si Eonhae], page 19:45b:그듸ᄂᆞᆫ〮 긼〮ᄀᆞ〯ᅀᆡᆺ ᄇᆞ리〮옛〮ᄂᆞᆫ 모〮ᄉᆞᆯ 보디〮 아니〮ᄒᆞᄂᆞᆫ다〮 […] ᄒᆞᆫ 셤〮만〮 ᄒᆞᆫ 녯〯 므〮레 蛟龍이〮 갈맛〮ᄂᆞ니〮라- kùtùy-nón kíl-s-kǒz-òy-s pòlíyéysnòn mwós-òl pwòtí àníhònòntá […] hòn syém-mán hòn nyěy-s múl-èy KYWO.LYWONG-í kàlmásnònílà
- Have you not seen by the roadside a deserted pond? […] In that seom of old water, there hides the Jiaolong.
Descendants
- Early Modern Korean: 셤 (syem), 섬 (sem)
- Jeju: 섬 (seom)
References
Vovin, Alexander (2013) “From Koguryo to T'amna”, in Korean Linguistics, volume 15, number 2 (PDF), John Benjamins Publishing Company, →DOI, pages 222-240.