[Lexicog] Turkey
Alan H. Hartley
ahartley at d.umn.edu
Thu Aug 25 21:42:22 UTC 2005
Koontz John E wrote:
> I tend to suspect that "turkey" in English "Turkey bird" derives from
> this eastern connection - with one exotic heathen not too carefully
> distinguished from another.
Eng. 'turkey' is from 'turkey-cock', about which the OED says "In the
16th c. synonymous with Guinea-cock or Guinea-fowl, an African bird
known to the ancients (as meleagris), the American bird being at first
identified with or treated as a species of this. The African bird is
believed to have been so called as originally imported through the
Turkish dominions; it was called Guinea-fowl when brought by the
Portuguese from Guinea in West Africa. After the two birds were
distinguished and the names differentiated, turkey was erroneously
retained for the American bird, instead of the African. From the same
imperfect knowledge and confusion Meleagris, the ancient name of the
African fowl, was unfortunately adopted by Linnæus as the generic name
of the American bird."
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