parakeet

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   any of numerous small or medium-sized parrots with a slender body and a long tail

   A bright green parakeet perched on the balcony rail.

2. 2
   noun

   the budgerigar, especially when kept as a pet

   Their pet parakeet learned to imitate the doorbell.

Simplified etymology

Parakeet, recorded from the mid-16th century, may be based on the Spanish personal name Pedro, “Peter,” reflecting the practice of giving pet birds human names. An alternative explanation derives it through Italian from a word meaning “little wig,” referring to the bird’s head plumage.

From French perroquet, with some forms influenced by Spanish periquito and Italian parrocchetto. The French word was probably shaped as a diminutive of the personal name Pierre, much as familiar personal names have often been applied to pet birds.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary