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tur·key (tûrkē)
Share:
n. pl. tur·keys
1.
a. A large North American bird (Meleagris gallopavo) that has brownish plumage and a bare wattled head and neck and is widely domesticated for food.
b. The flesh of this bird, used as food.
2. A related bird (Meleagris ocellata syn. Agriocharis ocellata) of Mexico and Central America, brilliantly colored and having eyelike spots on its tail.
3. Informal
a. A person considered inept or undesirable.
b. A failure, especially a failed theatrical production or movie.
4. Sports Three consecutive strikes in bowling.
Idiom:
talk turkeyInformal
To speak frankly about the basic facts of a matter.

[After Turkey, from a confusion with the guinea fowl, once believed to have originated in Turkish territory.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.