'turkey' originates from Middle English, specifically the word 'Turkye', where 'Turk' referred to people from the region called Turkey and the name became associated with certain birds traded via that region.

'turkey' changed from Middle English 'Turkye' and Early Modern English forms like 'turkie' applied to guinea fowl and similar imported birds; after the discovery of the American bird, the name was transferred to the North American species and eventually became the modern English 'turkey'.

Initially it referred to birds associated with Turkish trade routes (or the country of Turkey); over time the word shifted to denote the specific large New World bird now commonly called a 'turkey'.