# penca
## Catalan
### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Central, Balearic) [ˈpɛŋ.kə]
* IPA: (Valencia) [ˈpeŋ.ka]

### Etymology 1

Uncertain. Possibly from Latin *penica, diminutive of penis. Compare Italian pinco.

#### Noun

penca f (plural penques)
* slice, chunk, (of bacon) side
* the fleshy part of some plants
    penca d'api ― celery stalk

##### Derived terms

* pencar
* pencut
* tenir penques

### Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

#### Verb

penca
* inflection of pencar:
** third-person singular present indicative
** second-person singular imperative

### Further reading

* “penca” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

## Galician
### Etymology 1

Probably onomatopoeic. Compare Spanish peca.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈpɛŋka/ [ˈpɛŋ.kɐ]
* Rhymes: -ɛŋka
* Hyphenation: pen‧ca

#### Noun

penca m (plural pencas)
* freckle
    Synonym: marxa

##### Derived terms

* pencado da troita

### Etymology 2

Unknown. Related to Spanish penca.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈpeŋka/ [ˈpeŋ.kɐ]
* Rhymes: -eŋka
* Hyphenation: pen‧ca

#### Noun

penca m (plural pencas)
* cabbage stalk
    Synonym: couceiro

### References

* Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “penca”, 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), “penca”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
* Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “penca”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN
* ↑ Joan Coromines, José A[ntonio] Pascual (1983–1991) “peca”, in Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico [Critic Castilian and Hispanic Etymological Dictionary] (in Spanish), Madrid: Gredos
* ↑ Joan Coromines, José A[ntonio] Pascual (1983–1991) “penca”, in Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico [Critic Castilian and Hispanic Etymological Dictionary] (in Spanish), Madrid: Gredos

## Portuguese
### Etymology

Unknown. Probably related to Spanish penca (“leaf's vein, stalk”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈpẽ.kɐ/
* Rhymes: -ẽkɐ
* Hyphenation: pen‧ca

### Noun

penca f (plural pencas)
* (botany) white cabbage
    Synonym: repolho branco
* a bunch (of flowers or fruits)
** 1867, Franklin Távora, chapter 11, in O Cabeleira, page 190:Vinho ou cachaça? perguntou o velho, apontando, de volta, na porta, com uma penca de bananas que lhe vinham caindo das mãos de maduras.Wine or cachaça? asked the old man, appearing, again, at the door, holding a bunch of bananas that would fall from his hands so ripe they were.
* (informal) a bunch (a considerable amount of something)
* (slang) hooter; schnozzle (especially large nose)
** 1913, Coelho Neto, chapter XXVII, in A Conquista:Vou ver. E, com desabalados gestos, Montezuma partiu, falando só, com dois pince-nez escarranchados na penca.(please add an English translation of this quotation)

#### Derived terms

* despencar

### Further reading

* “penca”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2025
* “penca”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025

## Spanish
### Etymology

Probably from hoja pendenca, from hoja (“leaf”) + a derivative of Latin pedis (“foot”), referring to the leaf growing from the foot of the plant. Also compare Italian pinco (“penis”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈpenka/ [ˈpẽŋ.ka]
* Rhymes: -enka
* Syllabification: pen‧ca

### Adjective

penca m or f (masculine and feminine plural pencas)
* (Chile, slang) bad, lame, uncool
    Synonym: malo

### Noun

penca f (plural pencas)
* (botany) main rib or vein of a leaf
* fleshy stalk, leafstalk or leaf of certain plants, e.g., celery leafstalks or nopal leaves
* (Chile) penis
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:pene
* (Chile) radish (large oblong variety)
    Synonym: rábano
* agave
    Synonyms: agave, magüey, pita
* (Costa Rica) drunkenness
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:borrachera

#### Derived terms

* apencar
* pencazo
* penco

### References

* Roberts, Edward A. (2014) A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Spanish Language with Families of Words based on Indo-European Roots, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN

### Further reading

* “penca”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10
* "penca" at Oxford Dictionaries