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”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpˠuːkə/

Noun

púca m (genitive singular púca, nominative plural púcaí)

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

Declension

Declension of púca

Fourth declension

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative púca púcaí Vocative a phúca a phúcaí Genitive púca púcaí Dative púca púcaí

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an púca na púcaí Genitive an phúca na bpúcaí Dative leis an bpúca don phúca leis na púcaí

Derived terms

• ceann púca m (“gargoyle”)
• coinnle an phúca f pl (“dark mullein”)
• méirín púca m (“fox-glove”)
• púca na mbeann m (“the Devil”)
• púca na n-adharc m (“bugbear”)
• púca na sméar m (“fruit-destroying pooka”)
• púca peill m (“toadstool”)
• púcaíocht f (“backwardness”)
• púcbhobarún m (“silent stupid person”)
• púcúil (“glum, 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.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “púca”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “púca”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “púca”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “púca”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024
• Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, page 65