Etymologically
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parakeet

Etymology and origin of the English word parakeet

History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈpaɹəkiːt/, /ˌpaɹəˈkiːt/ (UK); /ˈpɛɹəkit/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Spanish periquito,[2][3][4][5] probably a diminutive of Perico, a familiar form of Pedro “Peter”.[2][3][4] An earlier form, parroket (1581), is borrowed from Middle French paroquet, perroquet,[3][4][6][5] perhaps likewise from a diminutive of Pierre “Peter”,[3][4][6] though French etymologists derive it from Italian parrocchetto, literally “little priest”, or from a diminutive of parrucca “periwig”, alluding to the head plumage.[4] The OED holds that the relation between the Spanish and Italian forms cannot be settled, and that popular etymology has probably modified the name.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A bird of the parrot kind (1581, as parroket).[7][3][5][4]

Semantic evolution

Three forms competed in the 16th and 17th centuries: parroket, paraquito and parakeet, the last an anglicized form (1621 in Barnhart).[6][3] The word is now applied especially to the smaller, long-tailed parrots.[7][2][5] From 1596 it was used allusively of chattering or gaily dressed people.[7] The pet parakeet of the United States is called a budgie or budgerigar in Commonwealth countries.[1]

Timeline

  • 1581 – parroket.[7][3][5]
  • 1596 – of a chattering person.[7]
  • 1621 – parakeet, from Spanish.[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Any of various small, slender parrots with long, tapering tails, often kept as pets; a budgerigar.

Word family

  • Carolina parakeet
  • monk parakeet
  • shell parakeet
  • parrot
  • budgerigar
  • Peter

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Parakeet.” Etymologically, 10 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/parakeet. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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