Meaning & History
From Old Korean - Shillan 泥師今/니ᄉᆞ금 (nisokum) "ruler" or "emperor" and derived from Old Korean 니 "first, principal, main, teeth" + ㅅ "genitive particle" and Old Korean 금 "grand, great, big". A royal title of the ancient kings of Shilla beginning with King Yuri, the 3rd King of Shilla to King Naemul, the 17th king of Shilla and last to bear the title. The modern Native-Korean word 임금 "king" is a descendant of this word.