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"turkey (the bird)" in seven languages

Meaningturkey (the bird)

Spanish

pavo

/ˈpabo/

masc.inherited

The peacock is now pavo real, 'royal pavo'.

French

dinde

/dɛ̃d/

fem.other source · French (poule) d'Inde 'hen of the Indies'

The male is le dindon.

Italian

tacchino

/takˈkino/

masc.other source · of uncertain origin

Portuguese

peru

/peˈɾu/

masc.other source · named after Peru, the country

Romanian

curcan

/kurˈkan/

masc.other source · of uncertain origin

The hen is curcă.

Catalan

gall dindi

/gaʎ ˈdindi/

masc.other source · gall 'cock' + dindi, from d'Índia 'of the Indies'

The same 'Indies' idea as French dinde.

English

turkey

/ˈtɝki/

native English · English, short for turkey-cock, after the country

English → Italianturkey (the bird)tacchinoNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: peacock (its pea- is Old English pēa, from Latin PĀVŌ).What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

PĀVUM‘peacock’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

An American bird nobody could place: English named it after Turkey, French after the 'Indies', and Spanish handed it the peacock's Latin name.

English relatives: peacock (its pea- is Old English pēa, from Latin PĀVŌ)

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In a sentence

  • esEn Navidad comimos pavo.
  • frÀ Noël, on a mangé de la dinde.
  • itA Natale abbiamo mangiato il tacchino.
  • ptNo Natal comemos peru.
  • roDe Crăciun am mâncat curcan.
  • caPer Nadal vam menjar gall dindi.
  • enWe had turkey for Christmas.

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