Where does “pooka” come from?

pooka (English) comes from Old Irish púca, from Old English pūca, from Proto-Bantu puko, from Tagalog po, from Hokkien 傅.

pooka (English): A fairy that supposedly appears in animal form,...

Definitions

  1. A fairy that supposedly appears in animal form,...

Ancestry of “pooka”, step by step

pooka traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old Irish púca

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Irishpúcagoblin, sprite
2Old Englishpūcadevil, demon; goblin, demon; demon, goblin, imp
3Proto-Bantupuko—
4Tagalogpomarks respect toward the person the speaker is...
5Hokkien傅—

via Hawaiian puka

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Hawaiianpukahole, gate, doorway; a snare, a trap; to pass...
2Proto-Polynesianputa—
Every word from Hokkien 傅 →