足引きの

• 足日木の, 足曳の

⟨a si pi₁ ki₂ no₂⟩ → */asipʲikɨnə/ → /aɕi fiki no/ → /aɕi hiki no/

From Old Japanese, first attested in the Kojiki (712 CE)

Original derivation unknown,[1] various theories exist. The kanji spelling literally means "foot-dragging", possibly implying a sense of "climbing while 'pulling' one's legs → foot-aching → rugged". However, 引き (/pi₁ki₁/ → hiki, “pulling”) is not the original derivation but rather a later development.

Usually spelled with rendaku (連濁) as ashi-biki no, for posterity.

足引きの (hiragana あしひきの, rōmaji ashi hiki no, alternative reading あしびきの, rōmaji ashi-biki no)

1. a pillow word of uncertain meaning, alludes to 山 (yama, “mountain”), words containing yama, 峰 (o, “hilltop, peak”), 岩根 (iwane, “rock”), etc.

For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:足引きの.