Etymology Explorer › English

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-.

Ancestry of “Puck”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishPikeA member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity
2Frenchpiquépast participle of piquer; dive; two fabrics...
3Frenchpiquerto prick; to sting; to nick, pinch, steal
4Middle Frenchpicquerto sting
5Old Frenchpiquerto pierce with the tip of a sword
6Vulgar Latinpiccareto puncture; to sting, strike; to pierce
7Frankishpikkōnto peck, strike
8Proto-Germanicpikōną—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanbew-"low-pitch humming noise"

Words derived from “Puck”

  • puckish
  • puckishly
  • puckishness
  • Pucklike
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bew- →