What's the etymology of 負けず嫌い?


It seems strange to me that
[負{ま}けず嫌{ぎら}い](http://eow.alc.co.jp/%E8%B2%A0%E3%81%91%E3%81%9A%E5%AB%8C%E3%81%84/UTF-8/)
means "hate losing" and not "hate not losing".
([食わず嫌い](http://eow.alc.co.jp/search?q=%E9%A3%9F%E3%82%8F%E3%81%9A%E5%AB%8C%E3%81%84)
for example seems to mean "hate a food without trying it".)

Providing credible sources if possible, what is the etymology of 負けず嫌い? Is
there any difference in meaning or strength between 負け嫌い and 負けず嫌い?




According to [this page](http://homepage2.nifty.com/osiete/seito216.htm), the
ず in 負けず嫌い is not negation, but from an old way of writing
[むず/んず](http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch?index=17922800&p=%A4%E0%A4%BA&dtype=0&stype=1&dname=0na&pagenum=1).

It says むず connects to an [imperfective
form](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_verb_conjugation#Imperfective) of
verbs/some auxiliary verbs etc, and it's said that it's a transformation from
`auxiliary verb
"[ん/む](http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch?enc=UTF-8&p=%E3%82%80&dtype=0&dname=0na&stype=0&index=17838000&pagenum=21)"`+`particle
"と"`+`verb "す"` ("[んとす/むとす](http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch/0/0na/17954300/)").
It says "むず" usually has basically the same meaning as
"[ん/む](http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch?enc=UTF-8&p=%E3%82%80&dtype=0&dname=0na&stype=0&index=17838000&pagenum=21)",
but it incorporates extra emphasis.

According to [this page](http://nhg.pro.tok2.com/qa/jodoushi-1.htm), it means
something like 負けるだろうことが嫌い, or "hate thinking that you'll lose".

* * *

Alternatively, according to [this page](http://www.asahi-
net.or.jp/~hi5k-stu/nihongo/gogenjpn2.htm), it quotes the
[新明解国語辞典](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shin_Meikai_kokugo_jiten) as saying
負けず嫌い is a mixture of 負け嫌い and 負けず, and says that it may originally have been
負け嫌い but came about via incorrect usage.

[Daijisen](http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch?enc=UTF-8&p=%E8%B2%A0%E3%81%91%E3%81%9A%E5%AB%8C%E3%81%84&dtype=0&dname=0na&stype=0&index=17277000&pagenum=1)
says it might have come from a mixture of 負け嫌い and
[負けじ魂](http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch?enc=UTF-8&p=%E8%B2%A0%E3%81%91%E3%81%98%E9%AD%82&dtype=3&dname=2na&stype=0&pagenum=1&index=04122800)
("unyielding spirit") etc (I'm not sure which is correct).




According to [this page](http://homepage2.nifty.com/osiete/seito216.htm), the
ず in 負けず嫌い is not negation, but from an old way of writing
[むず/んず](http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch?index=17922800&p=%A4%E0%A4%BA&dtype=0&stype=1&dname=0na&pagenum=1).

It says むず connects to an [imperfective
form](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_verb_conjugation#Imperfective) of
verbs/some auxiliary verbs etc, and it's said that it's a transformation from
`auxiliary verb
"[ん/む](http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch?enc=UTF-8&p=%E3%82%80&dtype=0&dname=0na&stype=0&index=17838000&pagenum=21)"`+`particle
"と"`+`verb "す"` ("[んとす/むとす](http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch/0/0na/17954300/)").
It says "むず" usually has basically the same meaning as
"[ん/む](http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch?enc=UTF-8&p=%E3%82%80&dtype=0&dname=0na&stype=0&index=17838000&pagenum=21)",
but it incorporates extra emphasis.

According to [this page](http://nhg.pro.tok2.com/qa/jodoushi-1.htm), it means
something like 負けるだろうことが嫌い, or "hate thinking that you'll lose".

* * *

Alternatively, according to [this page](http://www.asahi-
net.or.jp/~hi5k-stu/nihongo/gogenjpn2.htm), it quotes the
[新明解国語辞典](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shin_Meikai_kokugo_jiten) as saying
負けず嫌い is a mixture of 負け嫌い and 負けず, and says that it may originally have been
負け嫌い but came about via incorrect usage.

[Daijisen](http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch?enc=UTF-8&p=%E8%B2%A0%E3%81%91%E3%81%9A%E5%AB%8C%E3%81%84&dtype=0&dname=0na&stype=0&index=17277000&pagenum=1)
says it might have come from a mixture of 負け嫌い and
[負けじ魂](http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch?enc=UTF-8&p=%E8%B2%A0%E3%81%91%E3%81%98%E9%AD%82&dtype=3&dname=2na&stype=0&pagenum=1&index=04122800)
("unyielding spirit") etc (I'm not sure which is correct).

