esculca

Etymology

From local High Middle Ages Medieval Latin sculca (“watchtower”), from Proto-Germanic *skulkan. Cognate of English skulk (“to hide”) and of Norwegian Nynorsk skulke (“to play truant”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /esˈkulka̝/

Noun

esculca f (plural esculcas)

1. inquiry
   • 1853, Camilo Álvarez de Castro, [Carta a Rosalía de Castro]:

     vendo aí tantos homes de testa, capaces d'abranguer moito e ben, que puderan facer esculcas e recoller as cantigas i os contos de cada eido

     seeing so many intelligent, capable men who could undertake a lot ably, who could make enquiries and recollect the songs and the tales of every place [of Galicia]

2. report
   • 1457, Fernando Tato (ed.), Libro de Notas de Álvaro Perez, page 188:

     e achara a Johán Rramallo [...] que leuaua hũu ljmoeyro çebtý que avía arrĩcado da orta [...] e que Afonso Rrodriges Vimyeiro dera a esculca del a seu dono

     and that he found Xoán Ramallo [...] who took away a lemon tree that he had pulled out from the garden [...] and that Afonso Rodríguez Vimieiro has given a report about him to its proprietor

3. (archaic) spy
   • 1370, Ramón Lorenzo (ed.), Crónica troiana, page 235:

     Et coydou que era esculca que vĩjña esculcar sua terra, ca Peleus ben sabía que entre elles et troyãos auj́a grã desamor.

     And he thought that he was a spy which has come to investigate their country, because Peleus knew well that in between them and the Trojans there was a large enmity

References

• “esculca” in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval, SLI - ILGA 2006-2012.
• “esculca” in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega, SLI - ILGA 2006-2013.
• “esculca” in Santamarina, Antón (coord.): Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega. Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.
• “esculca” in Álvarez, Rosario (coord.): Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués, Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.
• Coromines, Joan; Pascual, José A. (1991–1997). Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico. Madrid: Gredos, s.v. esculca.