pooka
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of pooka
First recorded in 1820–30; from Irish púca, perhaps related to Old English pūca ( see Puck ( def. ))
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
James Stewart plays Elwood P Dowd, and Harvey is his love object, an invisible 6ft white rabbit sometimes described as a "pooka", a sort of sprite who can make your dreams come true.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 14, 2013
The last thing the pooka done was to rake up the fire and walk out, giving such a slap o’ the door, that the boy thought the house couldn’t help tumbling down.
From Humours of Irish Life by Various
After November Eve the blackberries are no longer wholesome, for the pooka has spoiled them.
From Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry by Yeats, W. B. (William Butler)
“Musha, I don’t know,” says the pooka; “but I think a good quilted frieze coat would help me to keep the life in me them long nights.”
From The Irish Fairy Book by Various
He saw neither pooka nor fairy, but the long horns of the animal he was in search of.
From Love of Brothers by Tynan, Katharine
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
