parakeet

English
A rose-ringed parakeet

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle French perroquet, probably a diminutive form of the personal name Pierre; some variant forms perhaps via Italian parrocchetto, Spanish periquito.

Pronunciation
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈpaɹəkiːt/, /paɹəˈkiːt/
  • (General American) IPA(key): /ˈpɛɹəkit/
  • Audio (Southern England)(file)

Noun

parakeet (plural parakeets)

  1. Any of various species of small parrot primarily of tropical regions. [from 16th c.]
    • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 8, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:
      we had loved them for our pastimes, as we do apes, monkies, or perokitoes, and not as man.
    • 2009 October 12, Patrick Barkham, The Guardian:
      According to one legend, the parakeets escaped from the set of The African Queen, John Huston's 1951 film made at Shepperton studios.

Usage notes

The common parakeet kept as a pet is called the budgie or budgerigar in Commonwealth nations.

Derived terms

Translations

See also
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