púca

See also: puca, puça, and puçá

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish púca m (“goblin, sprite”).

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

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

Terms derived from púca

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

→ 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

"púca" in Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla, An Gúm, 1977, by Niall Ó Dónaill.
“púca” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.
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.

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