púca

See also: puca, puça, and puçá

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish púca m (“goblin, sprite”), probably a Germanic borrowing, from Old Norse púki (“fairy spirit”).[1][2]

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈpˠuːkə/

Noun

púca m (genitive singular púca, nominative plural púcaí)

  1. hobgoblin, pooka, puck
  2. surly, uncommunicative person

Declension

Derived terms

  • ceann púca m (“gargoyle”)
  • coinnle an phúca f pl (“dark mullein”)
  • méirín púca m (“fox-glove”)
  • púca na mbeann m (“(nickname for) the Devil”)
  • púca na n-adharc m (“bugbear”)
  • púca na sméar m (“fruit-destroying pooka, herald of winter”)
  • púca peill m (“toadstool”)
  • púcaíocht f (“(act of) avoiding public gaze, self-concealment, backwardness”)
  • púcbhobarún m (“silent stupid person”)
  • púcúil (“glum, uncommunicative, surly”, adjective)
  • téada an phúca f pl (“gossamer”)

Descendants

  • →? Cornish: bucca
    • → English: bucca
  • → English: pooka, puka

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical Lenition Eclipsis
púca phúca bpúca
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

  1. Pokorny, Julius (1959) Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 1, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 299
  2. urran, Bob (1997), A Field Guide to Irish Fairies, Appletree Press

Further reading

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