Focal an Lae #154
The Word of the Day in Irish
Word: poc / boc (POK, BOK) [pok, bok]
Meaning: poc = buck (billy goat; stag); butt
boc = buck (kind of man)
Usage:
- “An Poc ar Buile” (uhn POK ehr BWIH-luh) [ən pok er′ bil′ə] = The Mad Billy Goat
(lit., the buck on frenzy) - the title of a well-known traditional song
- Thug sé poc sa tóin dó. (HOOG shay POK suh TOH-ihn DOH) [hug s′eː pok sə toːn′ doː] = He butted him, gave him a poke in the rear.
- boc mór = a big shot
History: Old Irish “bocc”, with the later variant “pocc”, Welsh “bwch” and Breton “bouc’h” come from Common Celtic *bukkos (he-goat),
from Indo-European *bhugo- (stag, ram, he-goat).
English cognates include “buck”, and also “butcher”, from Old French “bouchier”, derived from “bouc” (he-goat), which probably comes from Gaulish “bukkos”.
Scottish Gaelic: boc