parakeet

American  

[par-uh-keet] / ˈpær əˌkit /

Also paraquet,

Or parrakeet

noun

1. any of numerous small, slender parrots, usually having a long, pointed, graduated tail, often kept as pets and noted for the ability to mimic speech: several species are endangered.

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parakeet British  

/ ˈpærəˌkiːt /

noun

1. any of numerous small usually brightly coloured long-tailed parrots, such as Psittacula krameri ( ring-necked parakeet ), of Africa

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Etymology

Origin of parakeet

1575–85; from Middle French paroquet “parrot,” apparently originally a diminutive of P(i)errot, diminutive of Pierre “Peter,” as a name for a parrot; the modern form and its earlier variants have been influenced by Italian parrocchetto and Spanish periquito (both ultimately from Middle French )

Example Sentences

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati discovered that monk parakeets meeting unfamiliar birds tend to "test the waters" before deciding whether a potential partner is safe to approach.

From Science Daily

Occasionally, my wife and I pause to read as we amble across to visit our late son, inurned near a Gothic Revival gate crowned by nests of monk parakeets.

From Los Angeles Times

“Rebirth” unleashes the Distortus rex — imagine a parakeet’s head on a bodybuilding cockroach.

From Los Angeles Times

On May 4, a 26-year-old-man applying for admission to the United States at the San Ysidro Port of Entry was caught attempting to smuggle 16 live parakeets and three live chickens, officials said.

From Los Angeles Times

Bedecked with emerald green feathers and a rose-red beak, the ring-neck parakeets have become the star attraction at the Waterworks Park.

From BBC