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perroquet

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Etymology and origin of the French word perroquet

Confidence
Probable
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1395 Thomas de Saluces, Le Chevalier errant More words from the 14th century
Ultimate origin
French Perrot

Pronunciation

  • /pɛ.ʁɔ.kɛ/[1]
  • /pe.ʁɔ.kɛ/[1]

Forms

perroquet m (plural perroquets)[1] First written paroquet (1395); the form perroquet appears in 1537.[2][3]

Etymology

It is probably from French Perrot, an affectionate diminutive of the name Pierre, used for the bird as Margot was for the magpie.[3][2][4][5] In its first record it is the proper name of one parrot, beside the general word papegaut;[2][3] it then displaced the older papegai (12th century), as renard displaced goupil.[3][4] That word had come from Arabic through a southern dialect, compare Old Occitan papagai and Spanish papagayo.[4] The naming after Pierre was already Ménage's explanation.[6]

Wiktionary derives the word from Italian parrocchetto.[1] The Grand Robert points out that the Italian forms parrocco and parrochetto are later than the French word.[5] Diez explained the Italian word as “little parish priest”, from parroco (“parish priest”), and Scheler as “the crested bird”, from a word for a wig (perruque); Littré thought the French word might blend the name Pierrot and the word for a wig.[6]

The English word parrot may come from a French dialect form or from the standard word, according to Etymonline.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

In 1395, in Thomas de Saluces's Chevalier errant, paroquet is the name of a pet parrot, glossed by the common noun papegaut.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

As a common noun the word names an exotic climbing bird with bright plumage that can imitate human speech.[3][8] From 1585 a perroquet is a person who talks a lot without thinking, while from 1690 it is one who repeats without understanding.[2][9] By likeness of look or colour it named a fish (1554), the puffin in perroquet de mer (1776) and the bright green vert perroquet (1835).[2][3] The popular phrase étouffer un perroquet “to drink a glass of absinthe” (1862) alludes to the green colour of the drink; the word later named a mixture of pastis and mint syrup (1957).[2][3] In 1924 it named a standing coat rack, by likeness to the bird's beak.[3]

As a sea term it named a topgallant sail from 1525 (voile de perroquet), like other sails named after birds, and then the mast that carries it (1643, mât de perroquet).[2][4][3]

Timeline

  • 1395 – Paroquet is a parrot's name in Thomas de Saluces's Chevalier errant.[2][3]
  • 1525 – Voile de perroquet appears as a sea term.[2][4]
  • 1537 – The spelling perroquet appears, in Bonaventure des Périers's Cymbalum mundi.[2]
  • 1554 – Rondelet uses it for a fish.[2][9]
  • 1585 – Noël du Fail uses it of a chatterbox.[2][3]
  • 1643 – Mât de perroquet is recorded.[4]
  • 1776 – Perroquet de mer names the puffin.[2][9]
  • 1835 – Stendhal uses vert-perroquet.[2][3]
  • 1862 – Étouffer un perroquet “to drink an absinthe” is recorded.[2][3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A parrot, a climbing bird with bright feathers and a strongly hooked beak, able to imitate human speech.[8][2]
  2. (figurative) A person who repeats what others say without understanding it: répéter comme un perroquet.[8][9]
  3. Perroquet de mer: the puffin.[8][2]
  4. A drink of pastis mixed with mint syrup.[8][3]
  5. (nautical) A topgallant mast, or the square sail above the topsail.[8][1]

Word family

  • perroqueter
  • poisson-perroquet
  • bâton de perroquet
  • vert perroquet

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e f Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  7. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  8. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
Cite this entry

“Perroquet.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/perroquet. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·