ruca

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern, Balearic, Central) [ˈru.kə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia, Northwestern) [ˈru.ka]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

Etymology 1

Feminine form of ruc

Noun

ruca f (plural ruques)

1. female equivalent of ruc
2. rude woman

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Latin eruca (“a type of cabbage”). Doublet of eruga.

Noun

ruca f (plural ruques)

1. rocket (UK, Australia, NZ); arugula (US)
2. annual wall-rocket (Diplotaxis muralis)

   Synonym: ravenissa mural

3. (usually in the plural) a hair on the back of the neck

Further reading

• “ruca”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

Italian

Etymology

From Latin ērūca, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰer(s)-uk-eh₂, from *ǵʰers- (“to bristle”). Doublet of eruca.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈru.ka/
• Rhymes: -uka
• Hyphenation: rù‧ca

Noun

ruca f (plural ruche)

1. (archaic, botany) arugula, rocket

Derived terms

• ruchetta
• rucola

Anagrams

• cura

Old Irish

Alternative forms

• ·rucca

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈru.ɡa/

Verb

·ruca

1. third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive prototonic perfective of beirid

Mutation

Mutation of ·ruca

radical	lenition	nasalization
·ruca	·ruca pronounced with /ɾ-/	·ruca

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Old Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈruka/ [ˈru.ka]
• Rhymes: -uka
• Syllabification: ru‧ca

Etymology 1

Noun

ruca f (plural rucas)

1. female equivalent of ruco

Adjective

ruca

1. feminine singular of ruco

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Mapudungun ruka (“house”).

Noun

ruca f (plural rucas)

1. (Chile) traditional Indian hut

   Synonyms: choza, rancha, rancho, tapera

2. (Chile, derogatory) hut, hovel (housing made of poor construction)

Further reading

• “ruca”, 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