[Lexicog] Turkey

[Koontz John E]

On Sat, 27 Aug 2005, David Kaufman wrote:
> Probably.  It'd be interesting to know how Italian (tacchino) and
> Portuguese (peru/perua) got their terms, since the Latin word was
> meleagris gallopavo, the obvious source of the Spanish pavo.

I think the connection there might be Latin pavo 'peacock'.  The second
part of the Linneaan binominal, gallopavo, would be a compound with
gallus 'cock chicken'.  I'm not sure, but I believe gallopavo would be a
Linneaan concoction from the Latin forms.  I think that Spanish pavo would
be a learned term borrowed from Latin.

It seems fairly clear that the connection of the turkey with the India and
the East, secondarily Turkey, arises from widespread association of it
with the peacock.

Meleagris refers to the Meleagrides, the sisters of Meleager, "who
bitterly lamented his death and were turned in birds."  Peacocks have a
fairly loud and harsh call, though it doesn't sound like lamentation to
me!