Turkey

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈtɜːki/

Definitions

1. A large domesticated bird with dark plumage and a fan-shaped tail, traditionally eaten as a holiday meal
2. A large bird native to North America, recognized for its distinctive fan-shaped tail and often consumed during special festivities
3. A sizeable bird kept on farms and commonly served during celebrations like Thanksgiving ; a wild bird native to forests in the United States known for its fan-shaped tail feathers

Etymology: The bird now called the turkey was not the first thing English speakers attached the name to. The word first belonged to the guinea fowl, an African bird that reached Europe by way of Turkey, and "turkey-cock" and "turkey hen" were shortened forms that stuck to it. Only later was the name transferred to the superficially similar North American bird, Meleagris gallopavo, which Europeans encountered after the Spanish arrived in the Americas. The mix-up was a matter of geography rather than anything about the birds themselves. Traders brought guinea fowl into Europe through Ottoman territory, so a bird from Africa came to be labelled after a country it passed through. When the larger American bird arrived with a similar look and a similar place in the kitchen, the existing name was simply reused for it. The naming logic was about trade routes, not about the animal.

Synonyms: gobbler, poultry, bird, fowl, dinner