panenka

P3A1N1E1N1K5A1
/pəˈnɛnkə/

noun

A softly-struck chipped penalty kick into the middle of the goal.

Scrabble 13

Meanings

panenka1

nounpanenka (plural panenkas)

plural panenkas

  1. alternativeAlternative form of Panenka.

Panenka2

nounPanenka (plural Panenkas)

plural Panenkas · alternative panenka · alternative panenka kick

  1. ball gamesA softly-struck chipped penalty kick into the middle of the goal.

    Up stepped Pirlo, who coolly took a Panenka as Hart dived to his right.

    2015, Ben Lyttleton, Twelve Yards: The Art and Psychology of the Perfect Penalty Kick
    3 more examples

    Amazingly, in the most important football competition in the world, he had scored a penalty kick in the most risky and theatrical way possible, with what is called a panenka, after Antonín Panenka, a Czech footballer who in 1976 scored a vital penalty kick by chipping the ball over the goalkeeper into the center of the net.

    2010, Laurent Dubois, Soccer Empire: The World Cup and the Future of France

    Best used for penalties that are scored in a tidy, unfussy manner – no impudent Panenkas or short runups welcome here, thanks.

    2015, Adam Hurrey, Football Clichés: Decoding the Oddball Phrases, Colorful Gestures, and Unwritten Rules of Soccer Across the Pond

    He chipped a Panenka that was so bad it barely had enough power to bounce off the chest of Lukasz Fabianski.

    2020 November 7, Paul MacInnes, “Soucek's late strike earns West Ham win as Lookman fluffs Fulham penalty”, in The Guardian, London

Origin

Named after Czech football player Antonín Panenka who scored a softly-struck chipped penalty kick down the middle of the goal to win the penalty shootout in the UEFA Euro 1976 Final.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Dutch panenka
  • panenkaTranslations
Spanish penalti a lo Panenka
  • penalti a lo PanenkaTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

panenka. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/panenka

MLA

“panenka.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/panenka. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “panenka,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/panenka.

Source: panenka on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.