ThatSexToyGuyDec 4, 2024
I found out the other day that "penguin" in Mandarin Chinese is literally "business goose" and I haven't been able to think about anything else
Show threadInsecurity Princess 🌈💖🔥Dec 4, 2024
@hungry_joe
In German:
Skunk is "stink animal" (Stinktier)
Sloth is "lazy animal" (Faultier)
Turtle is "shield toad" (Schildkröte)
Raccoon is "wash bear" (Waschbär)
Turkey is "threatening chicken" (Truthahn)
Bat is "flutter mouse" (Fledermaus)
Show threadClaudius Link

@saraislet @hungry_joe

You sent me on a wild goose chase (or rather a turkey hunt 😜 ) looking for the origin of Truthahn.

It looks like there are several possible origins of the "trut":

  • it is an echoism (TIL) on the sound the turkey makes. Sidenote: echoism in German is Lautmalerei (sound painting)
  • comes from droten („drohen“ / threaten, or altnordic þrutna / inflate)

    • 🙏🏻 for letting me learn new English and German words 🙂

    Dec 4, 2024 at 12:17pmWeb
    Show threadMartijn VosDec 4, 2024

    @realn2s @saraislet @hungry_joe

    Now you made me look up where the Dutch word for turkey, "kalkoen", comes from. Apparently it comes "rooster from Calcutta" -> "Calicoetse haan" -> "Calcoense haan" -> kalkoen.

    Please ignore the fact that turkeys come from America and not at all from India. Our ancestors clearly did.

    The other listed animals are basically the same in Dutch as in German.

    Show threadersatzmausDec 4, 2024

    @mcv @saraislet @hungry_joe @realn2s Turkeys are hilariously misnamed in most languages afaik.

    turkey - obviously wrong, not from Turkey.
    kalkoen - bzzt, not from Calcutta
    dinde - nope, not from India
    peru pakshi - *sigh* not from Peru

    Show threadAlex, the Hearth FireDec 4, 2024
    @ersatzmaus @mcv @saraislet @hungry_joe @realn2s I believe they're called turkeys in English because they reminded Brits of guinea fowl, which *were* brought to Europe by Turkish merchants
    Show threadInsecurity Princess 🌈💖🔥Dec 5, 2024
    @realn2s @hungry_joe neat! Thanks for sharing!