# turkey

Pronunciation: say "TUR-kee" US /ˈtɝki/, UK /ˈtɜːki/

## Noun

1. A bird of the genus Meleagris, with a fan-shaped tail and a wattled neck, especially the North American species Meleagris gallopavo, now also domesticated.
   - Simple: A bird with a fan-shaped tail and loose skin hanging from its neck. Many are raised on farms.
   - _A flock of wild turkeys was scratching for acorns at the edge of the woods._
   - _The tom turkey puffed up its feathers and spread its tail into a wide fan._
2. The flesh of the turkey, eaten as food.
   - Simple: The meat from a turkey that people eat.
   - _Ground turkey is often used in place of beef in chili._
   - _The deli sells sliced turkey by the pound._
5. Something that fails or turns out badly, such as an unsuccessful film. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Something that fails, like a movie that does badly.
   - _Critics called the musical the biggest turkey of the season._
   - _The studio has had a few turkeys this year, but its animated films still make money._
6. A person who is foolish or inept. *(slang, US)*
   - Simple: A person who is silly or bad at doing things.
   - _Which turkey left the freezer door open all night?_
   - _My brother can be a real turkey, but he always means well._
7. In bowling, the feat of throwing three strikes in a row.
   - Simple: In bowling, getting three strikes one after another.
   - _He opened the game with a turkey and never looked back._
   - _A late turkey lifted her score past her rival's._
8. Used with a qualifying word: any of several birds resembling the North American turkey, Meleagris gallopavo, such as the brush turkey or the water turkey.
   - Simple: A bird that looks like a turkey, with another word in its name, like brush turkey.
   - _The male brush turkey rakes leaves and soil into a huge mound to warm the eggs._
   - _A water turkey perched on a dead branch, drying its spread wings in the sun._

## Proper noun · Turkey

3. A country spanning Eastern Thrace in southeastern Europe and Anatolia in western Asia, officially the Republic of Türkiye, with its capital at Ankara.
   - Simple: A country that is partly in southeast Europe and partly in west Asia. Its capital is Ankara.
   - _Turkey shares land borders with Greece, Bulgaria, Iran, and several other countries._
   - _She spent a semester in Turkey studying history at a university in Ankara._
4. The Ottoman Empire, a former empire spanning parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, with its capital at Istanbul.
   - Simple: The old Ottoman Empire, which once ruled lands in Europe, Asia, and Africa.
   - _European diplomats spent much of the nineteenth century arguing over the future of Turkey, the sick man of Europe._
   - _After the Balkan Wars, Turkey had lost almost all of its lands in Europe._

## Noun

9. A pack or bundle of belongings such as a lumberman carries; also, a large travel bag or suitcase. *(dated, Australia, US)*
   - Simple: A bundle of things a forest worker carries, or a big bag for travel.
10. The guinea fowl, an African bird of the family Numididae. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: The guinea fowl, a bird from Africa.

## Noun · Turkey

11. The deep indigo dye known as Turkey blue, or its color. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A deep, dark blue dye, or its color.

## Adjective · Turkey

12. Dyed or colored Turkey blue. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Dyed or colored a deep, dark blue.

## Other meanings

- (noun) The vibrant red dye known as Turkey red, or its color.
- (adjective) Dyed or colored Turkey red.
- (noun) A patient who feigns symptoms, or any person who fakes illness or injury.
- (noun) A prostitute.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–2, 5–10** — Turkey is short for turkey-cock and turkey-hen. These names first referred to the guinea fowl, an African bird that reached Europe through Turkey, and were later moved to the North American bird Meleagris gallopavo, which looks somewhat like it.
**Meanings 3–4, 11–12** — From Middle English Turkye, from Anglo-Norman Turkye and Medieval Latin Turcia, from Turcus ("Turk"), which came through Byzantine Greek and Persian from Old Turkic türk.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/turkey (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).