English

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A helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris)

Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Named after Guinea as it was imported from there.[1][2]

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈɡɪni ˌfaʊl/
  • Audio (US):(file)

Noun

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guinea fowl (countable and uncountable, plural guinea fowls or guinea fowl)

  1. (countable) Any of several African birds of the family Numididae (6 species) resembling partridges.
    • 2018, Nnedi Okorafor, Who Fears Death, HarperVoyager, page 273:
      A tiny white head with a small red wattle hanging from its beak was peeking into our tent. It whistled softly. I laughed. A guinea fowl.
  2. (uncountable) The meat of this bird.
    • 1998, Judy Astley, chapter 13, in Every Good Girl, Leicester: Ulverscroft, published 1999, →ISBN, page 211:
      While Lawrence had given her the uncut version of his divorce, she had stolidly munched her way through a vast plate of guinea fowl stuffed with foie gras, boulangère potatoes and a wigwam of French beans.
    • 2012, Lynda Renham, chapter 33, in Croissants and Jam: A Romantic Comedy, 2nd edition, [Combe]: Raucous Publishing, →ISBN, page 272:
      To the right is a long table housing a mouth-watering buffet of roast duck on platters, surrounded by smaller plates of guinea fowl, French bread, cold meats, and egg segments.
    • 2015, M[ary] L[ou] Longworth, “M. Verlaque Senior Ventures Beyond the Place des Vosges”, in The Mystery of the Lost Cézanne (Verlaque and Bonnet Mysteries; 5), New York, N.Y.: Penguin Books, →ISBN, page 244:
      The waiter reappeared with plates of guinea fowl, baked with pancetta and apples.

Derived terms

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Translations

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References

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  1. ^ guinea fowl, n.”, in OED Online  , Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
  2. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “Guinea”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Further reading

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