wild turkey
wild turkey Lexical Profile
• noun
North American A large, heavy game bird (Meleagris gallopavo) native to North American forests, characterized by dark iridescent plumage, a bare wattled head, and a distinctive gobbling call, known for being the agile and capable-of-flight ancestor to the domestic turkey.
"While hiking through the Appalachian woods at dawn, we startled a flock of wild turkeys foraging for acorns in the underbrush."
North American The meat of the undomesticated turkey, which is hunted as game and is typically leaner and more strongly flavored than commercially raised turkey meat.
"The family gathered for a traditional autumn feast featuring roasted wild turkey and root vegetables."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
A compound of 'wild' and 'turkey'. The word 'turkey' dates to the 1540s, originally referring to the African guinea fowl which was imported to Europe via the Ottoman Empire (Turkey). Early European settlers in North America mistakenly applied the name to the native American bird (Meleagris gallopavo).