Definition

1. Noun:
   • Domesticated birds kept for their eggs or meat: "Poultry" refers to birds that are raised by humans for the purpose of producing food, such as eggs or meat. This category typically includes chickens, turkeys, ducks, and geese.
   • The meat from such birds: "Poultry" can also refer to the flesh of these birds when used as food.

Examples of Usage

• Noun (referring to the birds):

  • The farm specializes in raising free-range poultry.
  • Common types of poultry include chickens and ducks.

• Noun (referring to the meat):

  • Poultry is a good source of lean protein.
  • We eat a lot of poultry, such as turkey and chicken.

Advanced Usage

• "Poultry farming": the practice of raising domesticated birds for their meat, eggs, or feathers.

  • Poultry farming is a major agricultural industry.

• Collective noun usage: "Poultry" is often used as a collective noun, referring to the birds as a group.

  • The poultry are kept in a large, ventilated coop.

Variants and Related Words

• Poulterer (noun, chiefly British): a person who sells poultry, especially for food.
  • We bought a fresh turkey from the local poulterer.

Synonyms

• Fowl: This is a close synonym, often used interchangeably with "poultry," though "fowl" can sometimes have a broader or more archaic meaning.
• Domestic fowl: A more descriptive term for birds raised domestically.

Related Phrases

• Poultry science: the study of the breeding, nutrition, and management of poultry.
  • She has a degree in poultry science.

Related Idioms

• "Don't count your chickens before they hatch": This common idiom, while using a type of poultry ("chickens"), advises against being overly confident about a good outcome before it is certain. It is related conceptually as chickens are a primary form of poultry.
  • I know the interview went well, but don't count your chickens before they hatch.

Noun

1. flesh of chickens or turkeys or ducks or geese raised for food
2. a domesticated gallinaceous bird thought to be descended from the red jungle fowl