English word origin

Etymology of koro

Possibly from Makasar garring koro' (lit. koro illness, "shrinking of the toilet", Matthes 1859), Buginese, or Malay. See "Koro § Etymology and geographical background" at Wikipedia for a full discussion.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

A delusional syndrome found in Malay and southern Chinese populations, characterized by a belief that the subject's penis will retract into the abdomen and cause death.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentiongarring koro'mak

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "mak",
        "3": "garring koro'"
      },
      "expansion": "Makasar garring koro'"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "bug",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Buginese"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ms",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Malay"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "garring",
      "garring#Makasar"
    ],
    [
      "koro'",
      "koro'#Makasar"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A delusional syndrome found in Malay and southern Chinese populations, characterized by a belief that the subject's penis will retract into the abdomen and cause death."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable"
      ],
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      "rawRecordSha256": "532d2b221d629d4064b252f8e16933444aac6ebcb88ab801679092d246410fd0",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 371051
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A Maori male elder.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Māori koro (“grandfather”).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "mi:koro<t:grandfather>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"gloss\" : \"grandfather\", \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Māori\", \"term\" : \"koro\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"mi\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"koro\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"koro\">\nBorrowed from Māori koro (“grandfather”)."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "mi:koro<t:grandfather>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Māori koro (“grandfather”)."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "koro",
      "koro#Māori"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A Maori male elder."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "b0041eae4e15b94486f23304b9ec6f1cd394cf3988c45ef4002da57509525103",
      "rawRecordSha256": "b85907390782dabcd6be53ea2616b9715660c784ec44a37139bb6fa300846391",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 371052
    }
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for koro →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-a29ybw