the large, central pillar that holds up a traditional Japanese house. · the breadwinner of a household or organization.
köken: 大黒(だいこく) (Daikoku, “Daikoku, the good of wealth and fortune”) + 柱(はしら) (hashira, “pillar”). The hashira changes to bashira as an instance of rendaku (連濁).
köken: First attested in the Seokbo sangjeol (釋譜詳節 / 석보상절), 1447, as Middle Korean ᄀᆞ자ᇰ〮 (Yale: kòcáng). Original meaning: "very, extremely". Superlative meaning ("most") from sixteenth century onward. Displaced previous superlative adverbs 안〮직 (Yale: áncìk), ᄆᆞᆺ〮 (Yale: mós).