English word origin

Etymology of pooka

From Old Irish púca (“goblin, sprite”), perhaps from a (nearly) identical Old Irish form, ultimately from Old English pūca (“demon”). Doublet of bucca and puck.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

A fairy that supposedly appears in animal form, often large.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Old Irish púca (“goblin, sprite”), perhaps from a (nearly) identical Old Irish form, ultimately from Old English pūca (“demon”). Doublet of bucca and puck.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Derivation mentionpúcasga
Derivation mentionpūcaang · demon
Doublet mentionbuccaen
Doublet mentionpucken

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sga",
        "3": "púca",
        "4": "",
        "5": "goblin, sprite"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Irish púca (“goblin, sprite”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "pūca",
        "t": "demon"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English pūca (“demon”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "bucca",
        "3": "puck"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of bucca and puck"
    }
  ],
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      "púca",
      "púca#Old_Irish"
    ],
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      "puca#Old_English"
    ],
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      "bucca#English"
    ],
    [
      "puck",
      "puck#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A convenient storage location or hiding spot created by the arrangement or form of surrounding objects

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Hawaiian puka (“hole”).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "haw:puka<t:hole>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"gloss\" : \"hole\", \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Hawaiian\", \"term\" : \"puka\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"haw\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"pooka\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"pooka\">\nBorrowed from Hawaiian puka (“hole”)."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "haw:puka<t:hole>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Hawaiian puka (“hole”)."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "puka",
      "puka#Hawaiian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for pooka →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-cG9va2E