Focal an Lae #358
The Word of the Day in Irish
Word: púca (POO-kuh) [puːkə]
Meaning: púca = goblin, sprite, pooka
Usage:
- Mhún an púca ar na caora. (WOON uh POO-kuh ehr nuh KWEE-ruh) [vuːn ə puːkə er′ nə kiːrə] = The pooka pissed on the berries.
(There is an old belief that fruit still on the trees and bushes after Samhain is inedible because the pooka has urinated on it.)
- púca na n-adharc (POO-kuh nuh NYE-uhrk) [puːkə nə nairk] = pet peeve (lit., pooka of the horns)
History: Irish “púca” is related to Welsh “pwca” and “pwci”, Old Norse “púki” and English “puck”, which is from Old English “púca”.
It is unclear who borrowed the word from whom, but Pokorny speculates that it goes back to the Indo-European root *beu- (to swell).
This word is the same as the name of the character “Puck” in Shakespeare’s play.