The Spanish word 'pavo' comes from the Latin word 'pavus', which meant 'peacock'. When Spanish colonizers arrived in the Americas, they encountered turkeys, which reminded them of peacocks due to their similar appearance as large, impressive birds. As a result, the meaning of 'pavo' expanded to include both peacocks and turkeys, though in modern Spanish it primarily refers to turkey, while peacock is more commonly specified as 'pavo real' (literally 'royal peacock').

The word 'pavo' is fairly basic in Spanish and doesn't have many simpler related words. However, you might encounter 'pavada' meaning 'foolishness' or 'silly thing', which comes from the perceived foolish behavior of turkeys. There's also 'pavonear(se)' meaning 'to strut' or 'to show off', which clearly relates to the proud strutting behavior of both peacocks and turkeys.

While English 'turkey' and Spanish 'pavo' have different etymological origins, there is an English connection through the word 'peacock', since both come from similar Indo-European roots. The English word 'pavonine', meaning 'resembling a peacock' or 'having characteristics of a peacock', comes from the same Latin root 'pavus'. Though 'pavonine' is a relatively rare word in English, recognizing this connection can help remember that 'pavo' was originally related to peacocks before coming to primarily mean 'turkey' in Spanish.