Where does “perk” come from?

Perk is a shortening of English percolator, which derives from Latin percolo, itself from Latin colo meaning to strain or filter, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European kʷel-.

perk (English): Perquisite; A bonus ability that a player...

Definitions

  1. Perquisite; A bonus ability that a player...

Ancestry of “perk”, step by step

perk traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English percolate

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpercolateTo pass a liquid through a porous substance; to...
2Latinpercolatusstrained through, filtered through, percolated
3Latinpercōlōto strain or filter through; to percolate
4Latincolōto cultivate the land, till, tend, take care of a field or garden
5Latinquelō
6Proto-Italickʷelōto inhabit
7Proto-Indo-Europeankʷéleti
8Proto-Indo-Europeankʷel-to turn

via Middle English perken

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishperken
2Old Northern Frenchperquer

Words derived from “perk

Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷel-Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷéletiEvery word from Proto-Italic kʷelō