turkey (English)
Where does "turkey" come from?
The word 'turkey' originally referred to the African guinea fowl, which reached Europe via merchants in the Ottoman Empire and subsequently adopted the name of the country. When explorers encountered the unrelated North American bird, they transferred this existing label to it due to a superficial resemblance. Over time, the term expanded from this avian origin to include various slang meanings, ranging from a bowling achievement to a label for a foolish person.
Full etymology tree
- turkey (English), 'The guinea fowl (family Numididae).'
- clipping turkey-cock (English), 'Alternative form of turkeycock.'
- compound Turkey (English), 'A country located in Eastern Thrace in Southeastern Europe and Anatolia in West Asia. Official name: Republic of Türkiye. Capital: Ankara.'
- compound cock (English), 'The crow of a cock, especially the first crow in the morning; cockcrow.'
- clipping turkey-hen (English), 'A female turkey.'
- compound Turkey (English), 'A country located in Eastern Thrace in Southeastern Europe and Anatolia in West Asia. Official name: Republic of Türkiye. Capital: Ankara.'
- compound hen (English), 'A female chicken (Gallus gallus), especially a sexually mature one kept for her eggs.'
- clipping turkey-cock (English), 'Alternative form of turkeycock.'
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris