Well attestedNamed through a historical place-name
turkey
noun · first attested 16th century
The American bird is named for a country on the wrong continent.
A large game bird domesticated in the Americas.
Record
- Relationship
- Named through a historical place-name
- Confidence
- Well attestedThe place link is the standard scholarly account.
- Attested
- 16th century
- Part of speech
- noun
Explanations here are written for this atlas. Dictionary text is not copied; the sources are linked so the claim can be checked.
- Step 1
Turkey
- In English
turkey
English first applied turkey to guineafowl imported through Ottoman territory, then transferred the name to the unrelated American bird.
Also pinned to Turkey
1 more from the same place
Turkey
All 22 entries 20 more words from Turkey
turquoiseThe gem is named for the country it was traded through, not where it formed.İstanbulsolecismA grammar error is named for a city whose Greek sounded wrong to Athens.SoloimeanderA winding path is named for a river in Anatolia.Büyük MenderesangoraThe wool carries the old name of Ankara.AnkarabezantThe coin carries the same old name as the adjective.IstanbulByzantineThe word for bureaucratic tangle is an old name for Istanbul.IstanbulcasabaThe melon is named for a town in western Turkey.TurgutluciliceThe hair shirt is named for a region of southern Anatolia.Cilicia