Standard Lemma guide

paca

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈpækə/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ækə
  • CMU ARPABET: P AA1 K AH0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: P AE1 K AH0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any of the large rodents of the genus Cuniculus (but see also its synonyms), native to Central America and South America, which have dark brown or black fur, a white or yellowish underbelly and rows of white spots along the sides.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

large burrowing rodent of South America and Central America; highly esteemed as food

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Cuniculus paca

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: rodent, gnawer

History

Etymology

Via Spanish paca and Portuguese paca, from Paraguayan Guarani paka.

Across languages

Translations

24 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: петниста пака (petnista paka) — rodent of genus Cuniculus
  • Chinese Mandarin: 無尾刺豚鼠 /无尾刺豚鼠 (wúwěi cìtúnshǔ) — rodent of genus Cuniculus
  • Finnish: paka — rodent of genus Cuniculus
  • Italian: paca — rodent of genus Cuniculus
  • Central Nahuatl: tepeitzcuintli — rodent of genus Cuniculus
  • Old Tupi: paka — rodent of genus Cuniculus
  • Pirahã: káixihíxao — rodent of genus Cuniculus
  • Pirahã: káixihí — rodent of genus Cuniculus
  • Polish: paka — rodent of genus Cuniculus
  • Portuguese: paca — rodent of genus Cuniculus
  • Russian: пака (paka) — rodent of genus Cuniculus
  • Spanish: boruga — rodent of genus Cuniculus
  • Spanish: conejo pintado — rodent of genus Cuniculus
  • Spanish: guagua — rodent of genus Cuniculus
  • Spanish: guanta — rodent of genus Cuniculus
  • Spanish: guartinaja — rodent of genus Cuniculus
  • Spanish: jochi — rodent of genus Cuniculus
  • Spanish: lapa — rodent of genus Cuniculus
  • Spanish: majaz — rodent of genus Cuniculus
  • Spanish: paca — rodent of genus Cuniculus
  • Spanish: tepezcuinte — rodent of genus Cuniculus
  • Spanish: tepezcuintle — rodent of genus Cuniculus
  • Spanish: tinajo — rodent of genus Cuniculus
  • Swedish: paka — rodent of genus Cuniculus