Etymology

ukiyo-e

Today it means: A Japanese painting or woodblock print depicting everyday life. Full definition →

First used 19th c.Japanese 浮世絵
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The story

  1. Japanese · borrowed from浮世絵
  2. English todayukiyo-e

Borrowed from Japanese 浮世絵 (ukiyoe), from 浮 (uki, “floating, fleeting”) + 世 (yo, “world; era”) + 絵 (e, “image, picture”).

First known use, by meaning

  • from 19th c. A Japanese painting or woodblock print depicting everyday life.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.