ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Peacock

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ˈpikɑk/ · Part of speech noun

Quick meaning: Peacock is a noun meaning A male peafowl, especially Pavo cristatus, notable for its brilliant iridescently ocellated tail.

Meaning

A male peafowl, especially Pavo cristatus, notable for its brilliant iridescently ocellated tail.

More Meanings

  1. A peafowl (of the genus Pavo or Afropavo), either male or female.
  2. (uncountable) The meat of this bird.
  3. A pompous or vainglorious person [from the 14th c.].
  4. (entomology) Any of various Asian species of papilionid butterflies of the genus Papilio.
  5. (intransitive) To strut about proudly or haughtily.
  6. (intransitive) To engage in peacocking, ostentatious dress or behaviour to impress women.

Example Sentences

Nor do many people today long to eat peacock, which was both a privilege and an ordeal reserved for royalty.
Nero, infamous emperor of Rome, built a rotating dining room in which guests could eat peacock while flower petals fluttered down from special panels in the ivory ceiling.
When a reader recently inquired if people really eat peacock, I stated that I’d never tasted the bird, roasted or otherwise, and as far as I knew, it is rarely cooked anywhere in the world.
The ſpring diſplaying her elegant taſte, the proud walk of the gold-feathered pheaſant, the light tread of the ſmall-hoofed hind, and the dancing of the ſtar-trained peacock, infuſed joy into the ſoul of the ſpectator of the aſtoniſhing works of the Creator.

Word Forms

Synonyms for peacock

Depending on context, synonyms include peafowl.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include herl, pub, cage, que, cock, peafowl.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.