What does caique mean?
Caique is a noun with two distinct meanings. In its older, nautical sense, it names a small, light rowing boat of Turkey and the eastern Mediterranean — a vessel long associated with ferrying passengers across the Bosphorus and other busy waterways, prized for its speed and manoeuvrability. This usage survives chiefly in historical and travel writing about Istanbul and the Aegean. In its more familiar modern sense among pet owners, a caique is a stocky, short-tailed parrot native to South America, belonging to the genus Pionites; the black-headed and white-bellied caiques are the best-known species. These birds are celebrated for their playful, clownish energy and are often described as the most acrobatic and dance-prone of companion parrots. The word entered English in the early seventeenth century by way of French and Italian from Turkish kayık, meaning 'boat'. Whether evoking a graceful craft gliding past Ottoman palaces or a bouncing, mischievous parrot, caique carries a distinctly colourful character that makes it a memorable addition to the vocabulary.
A light, fast rowing boat of Turkey and the eastern Mediterranean, formerly used especially for carrying passengers.
"An old caique lay moored beside the fishing boats in the harbour."
Chiefly historical or travel-writing register today.
Either of two stocky, short-tailed parrots of the South American genus Pionites, the black-headed caique and the white-bellied caique, kept widely as pets.
"A caique will happily spend hours wrestling with a toy or dancing to music."
Used mainly by aviculturists and pet owners; the birds are noted for their playful temperament.
The standard plural applies to both the boat and the parrot senses.
"Dozens of caiques crowded the waterfront as the ferries arrived."
The parrot called a caique is famous among bird lovers as the 'dancing parrot' — it hops and bobs to music like almost no other bird.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of caique
The word caique was borrowed into English in the early seventeenth century through French caïque and Italian caicco, ultimately deriving from the Turkish kayık, meaning 'small boat'. It originally referred specifically to the light rowing vessels of Constantinople and the Levant. Separately, the same word was later applied to the South American parrots of the genus Pionites, giving the bird its common name. The nautical term is thus firmly rooted in Turkish, while its application to the parrot reflects later European naming practice rather than shared linguistic ancestry.
How caique is actually used
Both senses are relatively uncommon words in everyday English: the nautical term appears mainly in historical or travel writing about Istanbul and the Aegean, while the ornithological sense is used by birdkeepers and aviculturists. The plural is simply caiques in both senses.
Easily confused with caique
A kayak is an Inuit-derived paddled boat with a covered deck, while a caique is a Mediterranean rowing boat of Turkish origin — despite both ending in a similar sound.