púca

See also: puca, puça, and puçá

Irish

Etymology

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

Mutated forms of púca

radical	lenition	eclipsis
púca	phúca	bpúca

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “púca”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “púca”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “púca”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “púca”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024