puck
puck Lexical Profile
puck Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A small, hard black disk made of vulcanized rubber that is hit with sticks and slid across the ice in the game of ice hockey.
"The defenseman intercepted the puck near the blue line and passed it up the rink."
A mischievous, playful sprite, goblin, or nature spirit in English folklore.
"In traditional rural tales, a puck might lead travelers astray in the woods at night."
Any small, flat, disk-shaped object resembling a hockey puck, such as a compacted cake of ground coffee in an espresso machine or a handheld pointing device used with a graphics tablet.
"The barista knocked the spent coffee puck out of the portafilter before preparing the next shot."
Irish A stroke or blow made with the stick in the game of hurling.
"The goalkeeper cleared the ball upfield with a long puck down the sideline."
• Rhymes for puck
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
The mythological sense derives from Old English 'puca' (goblin or demon), cognate with Old Norse 'puki'. The ice hockey sense emerged in the late 19th century, likely from the dialectal verb 'to puck' (to strike or poke), borrowed from Irish 'poc' (a blow or stroke in hurling).