English word origin

Etymology of perk

Clipping of perquisite.

5 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 5 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

Perquisite. · A bonus ability that a player character can acquire; a permanent power-up.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of perquisite.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

verb

To make (coffee) in a percolator or a drip coffeemaker. · Of coffee: to be produced by heated water seeping (“percolating”) through coffee grounds.

noun

A percolator, particularly of coffee.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of percolate (verb) and percolator (noun).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

adj

Smart; trim; spruce; jaunty; vain.

verb

To make trim or smart; to straighten up; to erect; to make a jaunty or saucy display of. · To appear from below or behind something, emerge, pop up, poke out. · To exalt oneself; to bear oneself loftily.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Origin uncertain. Perhaps a metathesis of prick.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "1": "en",
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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗

verb

To peer; to look narrowly, sharply, or inquisitively. · To examine thoroughly.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

The origin is uncertain. Perhaps a variant of peer + -k (frequentative ending).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "name": "suf",
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        "2": "",
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Source etymology 5

Original entry ↗

verb

To perch.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English perken, from Old Northern French perquer.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionperkenenm

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    },
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for perk →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-cGVyaw