Etymology

Most likely an imitative substratum word, akin to Albanian pupëzë, or possibly derived from a root pupă (now found only in Aromanian), of onomatopoetic origin. Other languages show similar forms, compare Latin upupa, Sardinian pubùsa, pupùsa, etc. The first part of the word has traditionally been linked to the Latin upupa, and it has been attempted to derive the Romanian word from a Latin root *upupacea, but this is unlikely. The suffix could indicate a borrowing from the Albanian term. ^[1]