Raku
name, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Alternative letter-case form of Raku. alt-of
- 1 A style of Japanese pottery, considered the traditional style for the pottery used in the Japanese tea ceremony; (especially capitalized) such pottery made by the Raku family.
"Raku bowls are of two types. The red Raku is made from a reddish earthenware clay and is glazed with a lead glaze."
- 2 A programming language derived from Perl.
"Many programming paradigms have influenced Raku. It has started its life under the name “Perl 6” but has been renamed in 2019 to break the illusion that it is just another version of Perl."
- 3 The English transliteration of a Japanese surname; specifically, that of the family traditionally licensed to manufacture the pottery.
Example
More examples"Raku bowls are of two types. The red Raku is made from a reddish earthenware clay and is glazed with a lead glaze."
Etymology
From Japanese 楽 (raku, “fun, delightful”). A seal engraved with this word was marked on the early pieces. It was the title and seal used by 15 generations of potters.
Probably a clipping of rakudo, the standard compiler, from Japanese 駱駝 (rakuda, “camel”), an allusion to the traditional symbol of the Perl language.
More for "raku"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.