turkey

The word “turkey” means a large North American bird with a fan-shaped tail, farmed for its meat. In plain terms, the big bird served at Thanksgiving, but also slang for something that flops badly, or a run of three strikes in bowling.

“Turkey” is pronounced TUR-kee (/ˈtɝki/ in IPA).

Here is “turkey” used in a sentence: “They roasted a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.”

“Turkey” is a noun.

“Turkey” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Turkey” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a large North American bird with a fan-shaped tail, farmed for its meat.

Both are farmed birds, but a turkey is much larger, with darker meat, a fan-shaped tail, and the male's distinctive wattle and gobble. Chickens are smaller, more common year-round, and lay eggs regularly. Turkey is most associated with festive meals, while chicken is an everyday staple.

A male turkey is called a tom or gobbler, named for its loud gobbling call, and it displays the fanned tail and colourful head. A female is a hen, which is smaller and quieter. Baby turkeys are known as poults.

Turkey became the traditional festive centrepiece partly because the bird is native to North America and large enough to feed a gathered family. The custom grew around American Thanksgiving and spread to Christmas tables in Britain and beyond, where a roast turkey now signals the holiday meal.

They are the same species, but differ in practice. Wild turkeys are lean and fast and can fly short distances, roosting in trees. Farmed turkeys are bred to grow larger and heavier, especially in the breast, which usually leaves them unable to fly.