Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “puka” come from?

puka (English) comes from Irish púca, from English Puck, from English Pike, from French piqué, from French piquer, from Middle French picquer, from Old French piquer, from Vulgar Latin piccare — "low-pitch humming noise".

puka (English): A small, usually perforated, wave- and...

Definitions

  1. A small, usually perforated, wave- and...

Ancestry of “puka”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Irishpúcahobgoblin, pooka, puck; surly, uncommunicative...
2EnglishPuck—
3EnglishPikeA member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity
4Frenchpiquépast participle of piquer; dive; two fabrics...
5Frenchpiquerto prick; to sting; to nick, pinch, steal
6Middle Frenchpicquerto sting
7Old Frenchpiquerto pierce with the tip of a sword
8Vulgar Latinpiccareto puncture; to sting, strike; to pierce
9Frankishpikkōnto peck, strike
10Proto-Germanicpikōną—
11Proto-Indo-Europeanbew-"low-pitch humming noise"
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bew- →