pooka en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /ˈpuːkə/
Etymology
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.
Meanings
-
A fairy that supposedly appears in animal form, often large.
This is certain; Moggy was by no means so great a fool as Betty in respect of hobgoblins, witches, banshees, pookas, and the world of spirits in general. She eat heartily, and slept soundly, and as yet had never seen the devil.
1863, Sheridan Le Fanu, The House by the Churchyard:P-O-O-K-A. Pooka. From old Celtic mythology, a fairy spirit in animal form, always very large. The pooka appears here and there, now and then, to this one and that one. A benign but mischievous creature. Very fond of rumpots, crackpots, and how are you, Mr. Wilson?
1944, Mary Chase, Harvey (play):The pooka had befriended the kindly old man.
The Pooka is an animal of which, partly from the darkness of the night, and partly from the darkness that he carries about with him, the precise outline, especially of the head and neck, can never be distinguished.
1833 July, “Laurie on Grand Juries”, in The Westminster Review - Volume 19, page 88:When the blackberries begin to decay, and the seeds to appear, the children are told not to eat them any longer, as the Pooka has dirtied on them.
1850, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, London: H.G. Bohn, page 371:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| pookas | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| phooka | alternative | lexicographic | |
| phouka | alternative | lexicographic |