History of the word 'turkey(animal)'

[radiopolitic]

Was browsing about yesterday and came across this:

http://www.mymerhaba.com/en/main/cont...

Anyone have any comments?

[danieljdwyer]

The etymology I am familiar with, and which seems far more prevalent online, is similar to the story Prof. Şinasi Tekin relates. The bird which was being sold to the English by Turkish merchants, however, was the guineafowl. The idea that it was a woodcock doesn't make sense for two reasons. To start with, the same species of woodcock that inhabits Turkey, the Eurasian woodcock, can be found all over western Europe. Beyond that, the woodcock and turkey look nothing alike, and are not remotely close in size.

[alanbarnes]

That makes more sense. It struck me as implausible that anybody would confuse a large short-billed galliform bird like a turkey with a small long-billed wading bird like a woodcock. Guineafowl, on the other hand, are reasonably close relatives to turkeys.

[bushwickgirl]

As opposed to the word 'turkey (human)'?
Sorry, I couldn't help myself;-)
Interesting thread, though.

[Humbucker]

The "animal" was probably added to distinguish it from the country, Turkey.

[alkapal]

bushwickgirl, that reminds me that my dad often used "turkey" as a description of a jerky human. it was big in the '70s, right?

[bushwickgirl]

I can't tell you if the usage started in the 70's, but I do know it lives on in my vocabulary.

[alkapal]

ha ha! then you're a nicer girl than me! ;-p.

[Chefpaulo]

I always heard the nomenclature was inspired by uncertainty of the bird's country of origin when they arrived in port and no one knew what they were or where they were from. In England, it was assumed they were from Turkey, hence our name. In France, they were assumed to be from India (d' Inde) which eventually transformed into dindon.

CP

[smartie]

I know that the word in Hebrew for turkey (the bird) is 'hodu' which means India so I googled it and found this quote from someone.

"Turkeys (the fowls) are named, in English, after the country of
Turkey. In Hebrew, however, we call them "hodu", which is the Hebrew
name for the country of India. In French they are called "dinde" which
is a distortion of "d'inde", meaning "from India". I have long been
fascinated by this geographical/linguistic phenomenon, and I would
like to know the origin of the English term and the Hebrew/French
term. Also, I think the bird itself originates in America, far away
from either India or Turkey. Perhaps this is related to Columbus's
mistaking of America to the Indies?
One more amazing and related observation, which I can only guess is
entirely coincidental, is the following: The word "hodu" (=Hebrew name
of turkeys, country of India) is related to the word "hodaya" meaning
"the giving of thanks" (the Hebrew name for the holiday of
thanksgiving is "chag ha-hodaya".) Is this related to the American
tradition of eating turkeys on thanksgiving? This does not appear in
the "official" story of thanksgiving."

seems interesting ...........

[alkapal]

here is the *definitive* answer! http://www.savagechickens.com/2009/11...

[bushwickgirl]

Turkey humor continues! I'm all for the wild variety myself.