penca

penca

Catalan

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /ˈpəŋ.kə/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /ˈpɛŋ.kə/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /ˈpeŋ.ka/

Etymology 1

Uncertain. Possibly from Latin *penica, diminutive of penis. Compare Italian pinco.

Noun

penca f (plural penques)

1. slice, chunk, (of bacon) side
2. The fleshy part of some plants.

   penca de'api ― celery stalk

Derived terms

• pencar
• pencut
• tenir penques

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

penca

1. third-person singular present indicative form of pencar
2. second-person singular imperative form of pencar

Further reading

• “penca” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

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Galician

Etymology 1

Probably onomatopoeic. Compare Spanish peca.[1]

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɛŋka̝/

Noun

penca m (plural pencas)

1. freckle

   Synonym: marxa

Derived terms

• pencado da troita

Etymology 2

Unknown. Related to Spanish penca.[2]

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpeŋka̝/

Noun

penca m (plural pencas)

1. cabbage stalk

   Synonym: couceiro

References

• “penca” in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega, SLI - ILGA 2006–2013.
• “penca” in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega. Santiago: ILG.
• “penca” in Álvarez, Rosario (coord.): Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués, Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.

1. Joan Coromines; José A. Pascual (1983–1991), “peca”, in Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico (in Spanish), Madrid: Gredos
2. Joan Coromines; José A. Pascual (1983–1991), “penca”, in Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico (in Spanish), Madrid: Gredos

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Portuguese

Etymology

Unknown. Probably related to Spanish penca (“leaf's vein, stalk”).

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: pen‧ca

Noun

penca f (plural pencas)

1. (botany) white cabbage

   Synonym: repolho branco

2. a bunch (of flowers or fruits)
   • 1867, Franklin Távora, chapter 11, in O Cabeleira:

     Vinho ou cachaça? perguntou o velho, apontando, de volta, na porta, com uma penca de bananas que lhe vinham caindo das mãos de maduras.

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

3. (slang) a bunch (a considerable amount of something)
4. (slang) hooter; schnozzle (especially large nose)
   • 1913, Coelho Neto, chapter XXVII, in A Conquista:

     Vou ver. E, com desabalados gestos, Montezuma partiu, falando só, com dois pince-nez escarranchados na penca.

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

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Spanish

Etymology

Probably from hoja pendenca, from hoja (“leaf”) + a derivative of Latin pedis (“foot”), referring to the leaf growing from the foot of the plant. Also compare Italian pinco (“penis”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpenka/ [ˈpẽŋ.ka]
• Rhymes: -enka
• Syllabification: pen‧ca

Adjective

penca (plural pencas)

1. (Chile, slang) bad, lame, uncool

   Synonym: malo

Noun

penca f (plural pencas)

1. (botany) main rib or vein of a leaf
2. fleshy stalk, leafstalk or leaf of certain plants, e.g., celery leafstalks or nopal leaves
3. (Chile) penis

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:pene

4. (Chile) radish (large oblong variety)

   Synonym: rábano

5. agave

   Synonyms: agave, magüey, pita

6. (Costa Rica) drunkenness

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:borrachera

Derived terms

• apencar
• pencazo
• penco

References

• Roberts, Edward A. (2014) A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Spanish Language with Families of Words based on Indo-European Roots, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN

Further reading

• “penca”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014
• "penca" at Oxford Dictionaries