Turkey/peru/portuguese

Question

Does anyone know why the bird "turkey"' is aclled "peru" in Portuguese? Many languages name it after India, like French and Hebrew and English, of course names it after Turkey b/c of the mistaked belief that the bird originated in parts of Asia. But where does "peru" come into this?

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]Does anyone know why the bird "turkey"' is aclled "peru" in Portuguese? Many languages name it after India, like French ... b/c of the mistaked belief that the bird originated in parts of Asia. But where does "peru" come into this?[/nq]
Another fanciful notion of where the bird originally came from perhaps?

Paul Townsend
I put it down there, and when I went back to it, there it was GONE!

Interchange the alphabetic elements to reply

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Does anyone know why the bird "turkey"' is aclled "peru" in Portuguese? Many languages name it after India, like French ... b/c of the mistaked belief that the bird originated in parts of Asia. But where does "peru" come into this?[/nq]
I know a valid explanation is given in the last paragraph of the article here, given that I understand it correctly.
http://educaterra.terra.com.br/sualingua/08/08 peru.htm

I've copy-pasted this bit below, in case anyone here understands Portuguese better than I do. (Which is very likely.)

From what I gather, Peru, for the Portuguese and Brazilians, had been a synonymous term for Spanish America. Accordingly, the new bird (from Central America, which the Portuguese weren't aware of) was called "Peruvian chicken" or "Peruvian rooster". galhinha do Peru -> peru.

"Quanto a nós, já no primeiro século de nossa colonização começamos a criar e a assar o peru, aqui conhecido como galinha do Peru ou galo do Peru (Diogo do Couto, "Décadas"), já que nos servimos do topônimo Peru, durante um bom tempo, para designar toda a América Espanhola.
Os espanhóis sabiam de onde ele vinha, mas não o chamaram de México, preferindo situá-lo como um primo americano do pavão. E nós, brasileiros e portugueses, pensamos que ele tinha vindo do Peru - que não conhecia o peru."
hth,
Luca

"You gotta stand for something even if you're sitting down." (Lifesavas - What if it's true)

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Does anyone know why the bird "turkey"' is aclled "peru" in Portuguese? Many languages name it after India, like French ... b/c of the mistaked belief that the bird originated in parts of Asia. But where does "peru" come into this?[/nq]
Just to add...
In Mexico, where it is a native bird and where it was the main source of meat before the Spaniards came, it's "guajolote," from Náhuatl "huexolotl", literally "gran monstruo."
Peter

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]In Mexico, where it is a native bird and where it was the main source of meat before the Spaniards came, it's "guajolote," from Náhuatl "huexolotl", literally "gran monstruo."[/nq]
Any connection with "axolotl", which is said to mean "water servant"?

BTW Can someone tell me the derivation of the Italian word for turkey: tacchino? A hasty googling turned this up:

"Tacchino è voce onomatopeica, dal verso dell'animale:tak tak."

Is this correct? The same source tells us that an alternative, N. Italian term is "dindio", in line with other European languages.

Nigel
ScriptMaster language resources (Persian/Turkish/Modern & Classical Greek/Russian/Romanian/Esperanto/IPA):
http://www.elgin.free-online.co.uk
New! EsperScript:
http://www.elgin.free-online.co.uk/esperanto.htm

Usenet · Answer

The last time I had occasion to consult a large Nahuatl dictionary, it was rather non-commital on the meaning of xolotl . (a- does seem to mean water). Elsewhere I've seen 'monster' and, thanks to Google in part, 'doll', 'dog', 'servant', 'spirit', 'naked'. Clarification is clearly required.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]The last time I had occasion to consult a large Nahuatl dictionary, it was rather non-commital on the meaning of ... water). Elsewhere I've seen 'monster' and, thanks to Google in part, 'doll', 'dog', 'servant', 'spirit', 'naked'. Clarification is clearly required.[/nq]
I'm only going by Mexican Spanish dictionaries, so I can't help with the Náhuatl meanings. One of my books says, xolotl is "monstruo"; the other gives "el furioso". Both of those are under the entry for turkey, "guajolote."
Peter

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]I'm only going by Mexican Spanish dictionaries, so I can't help with the Náhuatl meanings. One of my books says, xolotl is "monstruo"; the other gives "el furioso". Both of those are under the entry for turkey, "guajolote."[/nq]
Hmm. Looking further in my dictionary, I see that one might also call a turkey in Mexico by simply "xolo." Had only encountered "guajolote" and "pavo." Of course, "xolo" is from "xolotl" too. And the is pronounced (S).
Peter

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Chickens were only introduced relatively late to Europe[/nq]
That's why there is no PIE word for chickens. ***** and hens were usually named after the sounds they make:
Fr chanteclair (from chanter),
Ru petukh (from pet'),
Ru kury, Gth hana, Lat gallus
[nq:1](Homer didn't kow them).[/nq]
But the Common Slavic was spoken some millenium after Homer's epics had been written. And the Slavs definitely knew chickens, as they have a common word for them.
[nq:1]Whores are considerably older.[/nq]
But you can't deny that some languages euphemistically refer to ***** as ***, and to whores as chickens.
Xenia

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Millennium here, millennium there, what the **** does it matter, vsjo rovno.

Paul JK

Turkey/peru/portuguese

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