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)
- hobgoblin, pooka, puck
- surly, uncommunicative person
Declension
Declension of púca
Fourth declension
Bare forms
| Forms with the definite article
|
Derived terms
- ceann púca m (“gargoyle”)
- coinnle an phúca f pl (“dark mullein”)
- méirín púca m (“fox-glove”)
- púcaíocht f (“(act of) avoiding public gaze, self-concealment, backwardness”)
- 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”)
- 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
- Pokorny, Julius (1959) Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 1, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 299
- urran, Bob (1997), A Field Guide to Irish Fairies, Appletree Press
Further reading
- Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “púca”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
- G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “púca”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
- Entries containing “púca” in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm, 1959, by Tomás de Bhaldraithe.
- Entries containing “púca” in New English-Irish Dictionary by Foras na Gaeilge.