First published 1915; not yet revised More entries for turkey
turkeynoun2
Factsheet
What does the noun turkey mean?
There are 12 meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun turkey, two of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
This word is used in North American English.
turkey has developed meanings and uses in subjects including
Entry status
OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.
How common is the noun turkey?
About 4occurrences per million words in modern written English
| 1750 | 2.7 |
| 1760 | 2.3 |
| 1770 | 1.5 |
| 1780 | 1.7 |
| 1790 | 1.8 |
| 1800 | 2.0 |
| 1810 | 2.0 |
| 1820 | 2.4 |
| 1830 | 2.6 |
| 1840 | 3.1 |
| 1850 | 3.4 |
| 1860 | 3.6 |
| 1870 | 3.6 |
| 1880 | 3.5 |
| 1890 | 3.7 |
| 1900 | 3.9 |
| 1910 | 4.2 |
| 1920 | 4.5 |
| 1930 | 5.4 |
| 1940 | 5.5 |
| 1950 | 5.0 |
| 1960 | 3.9 |
| 1970 | 3.6 |
| 1980 | 4.0 |
| 1990 | 4.3 |
| 2000 | 4.6 |
| 2010 | 4.6 |
How is the noun turkey pronounced?
British English
/ˈtəːki/
TUR-kee
U.S. English
/ˈtərki/
TURR-kee
Canadian English
/ˈtərki/
Where does the noun turkey come from?
Earliest known use
mid 1500s
The earliest known use of the noun turkey is in the mid 1500s.
OED's earliest evidence for turkey is from 1555.
turkey is formed within English, by clipping or shortening.
Etymons: turkey-cock n., turkey-hen n.
Nearby entries
- Turkdom, n.1850–
- turkein, n.a1330
- turken, v.1575–1607
- Turkery, n.1566–1903
- Turkesco, adj.1584
- Turkese, n. & adj.a1398–1683
- Turkess, n.1590–
- turkess, v.?1521–1650
- turkessing, n.1612–73
- Turkey, n.¹a1425–
- turkey, n.²1555–
- turkey-back, n.1888–
- turkey-berry, n.1858–
- turkey-bird, n.1885–
- turkey-blossom, n.1849–
- turkey-bush, n.1911–
- turkey-buzzard, n.1672–
- turkey-call, n.1873–
- Turkey carpet, n.1546–
- Turkey-carpeted, adj.1801–
- Turkey carpeting, n.1745–
Etymology
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Meaning & use
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Pronunciation
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Forms
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Frequency
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Compounds & derived words
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Entry history for turkey, n.²
turkey, n.² was first published in 1915; not yet revised.
turkey, n.² was last modified in December 2024.
The following sections of this entry have been updated:
- Sense 5 (2023)
Revision of the OED is a long-term project. Entries in oed.com which have not been revised may include:
- corrections and revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
- new senses, phrases, and quotations which have been added in subsequent print and online updates.
Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into turkey, n.² in December 2024.
Earlier versions of this entry were published in:
OED First Edition (1915)
OED Second Edition (1989)
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Oxford English Dictionary, “,” , .
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APA 7
Oxford University Press. (n.d.). In Oxford English dictionary. Retrieved , from
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Citation details
Factsheet for turkey, n.²
Browse entry
Nearby entries
- Turkdom, n.1850–
- turkein, n.a1330
- turken, v.1575–1607
- Turkery, n.1566–1903
- Turkesco, adj.1584
- Turkese, n. & adj.a1398–1683
- Turkess, n.1590–
- turkess, v.?1521–1650
- turkessing, n.1612–73
- Turkey, n.¹a1425–
- turkey, n.²1555–
- turkey-back, n.1888–
- turkey-berry, n.1858–
- turkey-bird, n.1885–
- turkey-blossom, n.1849–
- turkey-bush, n.1911–
- turkey-buzzard, n.1672–
- turkey-call, n.1873–
- Turkey carpet, n.1546–
- Turkey-carpeted, adj.1801–
- Turkey carpeting, n.1745–
