Parakeet
/ˈpær.ə.kiːt/noun
A small parrot, especially one with a long tail.
Did you know?The word’s ancestry is debated: English likely borrowed it through French perroquet, while perroquet may be connected to Spanish periquito, a diminutive associated with the name Pedro, or Peter.
Etymological Timeline
16th Century
Spanish
periquito
“A diminutive form associated with perico, a familiar form of Pedro; also used for a small parrot.”
16th Century
French
perroquet
“Parrot; the likely immediate source of English parakeet, though the deeper origin is uncertain.”
17th Century
English
parakeet
“A small parrot; recorded in English from the 1640s.”
18th Century
English
parakeet
“A term increasingly used for long-tailed small parrots, especially the budgerigar.”
Modern English
English
parakeet
“A small, usually long-tailed parrot, commonly kept as a cage bird.”