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Added 9 October 2026

turkey

/ˈtɜːki/ noun

In Latin: gallopāvō Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about turkey at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

The guinea fowl (family Numididae). .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
A bird in the genus Meleagris, usually with a fan-shaped tail and wattled neck. A wild turkey of Meleagris gallopavo. A domesticated bird of Meleagris gallopavo domesticus.
A wild turkey of Meleagris gallopavo.

Origin

Clipping of turkey-cock and turkey-hen, originally denoting the guinea fowl, an African bird that was first imported to Europe through Turkey, but there is some controversy over the origin. The word was then transferred to the superficially similar North American bird Meleagris gallopavo.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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