How to Say "Turkey" in Portuguese

peru

/piˈɾu/masculine

The English word 'turkey' (the bird) is translated into Portuguese as peru.

Use peru when referring to the bird in the genus Meleagris.

Meaning: bird in the genus Meleagris (noun)

What does it mean word for word?

The word peru is identical to the Portuguese name for the country Peru.

It is important to distinguish between the bird and the nation: use peru for the bird, whereas Turquia is the word for the country Turkey.

peru is a masculine noun.

/piˈɾu/

In Brazil, peru is a common slang term for the penis, making the word potentially awkward or humorous in casual settings.
Despite the bird being named after Peru, the animal is actually native to North America and not South America.
The word peru was applied to the bird because early Portuguese explorers believed the animal originated in the region of Peru.

Você já comeu peru?
Have you ever eaten turkey?
This example is useful for asking if someone has ever eaten peru.
Tatoeba #4796702 by bill, translation #69241 by CK
O peru está no forno.
The turkey is in the oven.
This example is useful for stating that the peru is in the oven.
Tatoeba #11672367 by carlosalberto, translation #11672329 by carlosalberto
Posso trinchar o peru?
Can I carve the turkey?
This example is useful for asking permission to carve the peru.
Tatoeba #8208990 by carlosalberto, translation #8208893 by CK
Hoje, vamos comer peru no jantar.
Today, we will eat turkey for dinner.
28 more sentences on Tatoeba

Juliana and Lucas are walking through a farm.

Sources

Wiktionary, “turkey” translations and entries peru, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries peru, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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