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perk¹

(pûrk)

v. perked, perk·ing, perks

v.intr.

1. To stick up or jut out: dogs' ears that perk.

2. To carry oneself in a lively and jaunty manner.

v.tr.

To cause to stick up quickly: The dog perked its ears at the noise.

adj.

Perky.

Phrasal Verb:

perk up

1. To regain or cause to regain one's good spirits or liveliness.

2. To refresh the appearance of: New furniture and paint perked up the room.

[Possibly Middle English perken, to perch, from perk, rod, perch, probably from Medieval Latin perca and from Old French perche, perce, both from Latin pertica, rod; see PERCH¹.]

perk³

(pûrk)

intr.v. perked, perk·ing, perks
Informal

To percolate: The coffee was perking on the stove.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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