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

No extant species of parrot has lived in the continental United States since the native Carolina Parakeet went extinct over 100 years ago.

From National Geographic • Dec. 13, 2023

Like the Monk Parakeet, this species is successful in its native home ranges in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, where it can thrive in human-altered habitats.

From Scientific American • Jun. 20, 2023

I went to a couple of beaches, including the gorgeous Parakeet Bay, where I was one of just a handful of people.

From New York Times • Jan. 26, 2017

Take the ripe, visually bursting pomegranates of "The Parakeet and the Mermaid," completed following the Vence chapel.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 22, 2014

"Running the Parakeet doesn't seem to have made you very plump, Skipper."

From A Master of Fortune Being Further Adventures of Captain Kettle by Wood, Stanley L.