carraca

Galician

Etymology

Unknown. Attested, in Galician, since the 14th century. Compare French caraque, Italian caracca.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kaˈraka/ [kɑˈrɑ.kɐ]
• Rhymes: -aka
• Hyphenation: ca‧rra‧ca

Noun

carraca f (plural carracas)

1. (historical, navigation) carrack

   Synonym: nao

2. (figured) old useless thing
3. rattle

References

• Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “carraca”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval [Dictionary of dictionaries of Medieval Galician] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Barreiro, Xavier Varela; Guinovart, Xavier Gómez (2006–2018), “carraca”, in Corpus Xelmírez: corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval [Corpus Xelmírez: linguistic corpus of Medieval Galicia] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “carraca”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “carraca”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “carraca”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN
• “carraca”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2026
• “carraca”, in Dicionário Estraviz de galego (in Galician), 2014–2026

Spanish

A ratchet

Socket set with ratchet (above), four hex sockets and a universal joint.

A lilac-crested roller (bird of the family Coraciidae), Coracias caudata.

A banger

Portuguese carracks

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kaˈraka/ [kaˈra.ka]
• Rhymes: -aka
• Syllabification: ca‧rra‧ca

Noun

carraca f (plural carracas)

1. (music) ratchet, rattle, football rattle

   Synonym: matraca

2. ratchet, ratchet wrench, socket wrench

   Synonym: matraca

3. roller (any of the birds in the family Coraciidae)
4. (colloquial) (UK) banger, (US) beater, bucket, hooptie, jalopy, shitbox, crock (old vehicle)
5. (historical, nautical) carrack

Further reading

• “carraca”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025
• “carraca” in Lexico, Oxford University Press.