Portuguese

Noun

penca f (plural pencas)

1. (botany) white cabbage
2. a bunch (of flowers or fruits)
   • 1867, Franklin Távora, chapter 11, in O Cabeleira:

     Vinho ou cachaça? perguntou o velho, apontando, de volta, na porta, com uma penca de bananas que lhe vinham caindo das mãos de maduras.

3. (slang) a bunch (a considerable amount of something)
4. (slang) hooter; schnozzle (especially large nose)
   • 1913, Coelho Neto, “XXVII”, in A Conquista:

     Vou ver. E, com desabalados gestos, Montezuma partiu, falando só, com dois pince-nez escarranchados na penca.

Synonyms

• (white cabbage): repolho branco

Spanish

Etymology

Unknown origin. Maybe related to Italian pinco ‎(“****”)

Adjective

penca m, f ‎(plural pencas)

1. (Chile, slang) bad, lame, uncool
2. feminine singular of penco

Synonyms

• (bad): malo

Noun

penca f ‎(plural pencas)

1. (botany) main rib or vein of a leaf
2. fleshy stalk, leafstalk or leaf of certain plats e.g. celery leafstalks or nopal leaves.
3. (Chile) ****
4. (Chile) radish (large oblong variety)
5. agave

Synonyms

• (****): pene, polla, pico
• (radish): rábano
• (agave): agave, magüey, pita

Derived terms

• pencazo
• penco