perk

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perk (intr., pass.) carry oneself jauntily, be spruce or smart XIV; (trans.) project or raise in a brisk manner XVI. The earliest instances refer to the action of birds and suggest deriv. from perk sb., var. of PERCH2, or a transf. use of perk vb. perch (both now obs. or dial.) — dial. F. *perque, *perquer, vars. of perche, percher.
Hence perky (-Y1) XIX.

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