Etymologically
Log in

dinde

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 17:33. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /dɛ̃d/[1]

Forms

dinde f (plural dindes)[1]

Etymology

It comes from the phrases “poule d'Inde”, “coq d'Inde” and “poulet d'Inde”, “hen, cock, chick of India”, with the preposition de joined to the name Inde.[2][3][4][5][1][6] In the Middle Ages these names meant the guinea fowl (“poulle d'Ynde” 1380, “geline d'Inde” 1385, “coq d'Inde” 1465), after Medieval Latin “gallina de India”, India here being Abyssinia, where the guinea fowl lives wild.[2][3][4] When the Spaniards, after conquering Mexico (1519–1521), brought the turkey to Europe (to France about 1532), the names passed to the new bird.[2][3][5] Littré took “Inde” to mean America, the first name of the New World.[7]

Italian, German and English had parallel names, “gallo d'India”, “indianischer Hahn” and “cock of India”.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Olivier de Serres (1600) uses dinde for the turkey hen, and d'Indars and d'Indes for turkeys.[2][7][4] Rabelais already writes of poulle d'Inde (1542) and of coq, poulle, poullet d'Inde (1552).[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Dinde was also masculine for the turkey cock, as it still is in many northern dialects;[4] the masculine dindon (1600) first meant the young bird, then took over the male,[4][3] with dindonneau (1680) for the chick.[4]

Figuratively une dinde is a silly, pretentious woman (1752).[2][3][8] As food, dinde aux marrons is the traditional Christmas dish.[8]

Timeline

  • 13th century – Medieval Latin gallina de India “guinea fowl”.[2][3]
  • 1380 – Poulle d'Ynde.[2][3]
  • 1519–1521 – The Spaniards find the turkey in Mexico.[4][5]
  • 1542 – Poulle d'Inde in Rabelais.[2][3]
  • 1600 – Dinde and dindon (Olivier de Serres).[2][4]
  • 1680 – Dindonneau.[4]
  • 1752 – A silly woman.[2][3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A turkey hen; a turkey as poultry.[8][1]
  2. Turkey meat: dinde aux marrons.[8][1]
  3. (familiar) A silly, empty-headed woman.[8][2]

Word family

  • dindon
  • pintade

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 4, 639b
  7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert