Where does “Puck” come from?
Puck derives from Irish poc, from Proto-Germanic pūkô, from Old Irish boc, from Proto-Celtic buggos, from Proto-Indo-European bʰuǵ-.
Puck (English): A mischievous sprite in Celtic mythology and English folklore
Definitions
- A mischievous sprite in Celtic mythology and English folklore
Ancestry of “Puck”, step by step
Puck traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English Pike
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Pike | A member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity |
| 2 | French | piqué | past participle of piquer; dive; two fabrics... |
| 3 | French | piquer | to prick; to sting; to nick, pinch, steal |
| 4 | Middle French | picquer | to sting |
| 5 | Old French | piquer | to pierce with the tip of a sword |
| 6 | Vulgar Latin | piccare | to puncture; to sting, strike; to pierce |
| 7 | Frankish | pikkōn | to peck, strike |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | pikōną | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bew- | "low-pitch humming noise" |
via English tuck
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | tuck | To pull or gather up; To push into a snug... |
| 2 | Old French | estoc | rapier; end of a sword, rapier; the point of a... |
| 3 | Italian | stocco | tuck; A rapier, a sword; corn plant after cobs... |
| 4 | Middle Dutch | stōken | — |
| 5 | Old Dutch | stokon | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | stukōną | to push, to thrust |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)tewg- | to push, to hit |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)tew- | to push, to hit |
via Irish poc
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Irish | poc | buck; butt; puck, stroke of stick, stroke of play |
| 2 | Middle Irish | [[boc]], [[pocc]], [[poc]] | — |
| 3 | Old English | Bucca | he-goat |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | bukkô | Alternative form of *bukkaz; buck; male goat |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰugo- | buck |