peacock Definition
pea·cock (pē′käk′)
noun pl. -·cocks′ or -·cock′
- any male peafowl, esp., one of a species (Pavo cristatus) with a crest of plumules and long, brightly colored upper tail coverts that can be spread like a fan and have rainbow-colored, eyelike spots
- loosely any peafowl
- a vain, strutting person
Etymology: ME pacok < pa, peacock (< OE pea < early WGmc borrowing < L pavo, peacock, ? akin to Gr taōs, ? of Asian orig.) + cok, cock
intransitive verb
to display vanity in behavior, dress, etc.; strut
peacock Related Forms
pea′·cock′·ish adjective or pea′·cock′y
Peacock Definition
Pea·cock (pē′käk′)
Peacock, Thomas Love 1785-1866; Eng. novelist & poet
peacock Usage Examples
Possessives
- tail: Hence, for example, the peacock's tail.
- feather: The red color in the the peacock's feathers signifies his love of contemplation.
- eye: It went up eleven foot or twelve foot high with these peacock's eyes all round and it was absolutely beautiful.
Converse of object
- include: Longhorn Cattle and a mixture of poultry including peacocks.
- see: Top He Told Me I Made Music On summer days we went to the park to see the peacocks.
- have: The Peacocks At present at The Trout we have 7 peacocks, three males and four females ( peahens ).
- strut: Daniel Coonan's strutting peacock of a count, with a wonderful lisp, added to the hilarity.
- keep: It is considered unlucky to keep peacocks ' feathers in the house.
Adjective modifier
- male: Increasingly windy later, strong to gale from the S. The male peacock was unable to go to roost in his usual tree.
- white: It was Peter, dragging his quilt behind him like the tail of a white peacock.
- mature: Mature male peacocks have a long train of tail feathers and when the male opens the tail he reveals a highly colorful pattern.
- small: Two strings of purple beads dangle down from the base of the brace to form a tail, ending in small peacocks ' feathers.
- local: You may even be lucky enough to have a visit from one of the local peacocks.
- rare: With greater luck, some of the angelic, rare white peacocks will do the same.
Modifies a noun
- herl: A peacock herl body would seem essential to the success of a grayling fly tied in traditional style.
- quill: Good sources for peacock quills are bird sanctuaries, zoos, tackle shops, or craft centers.
- waggler: I have opted for a standard straight peacock waggler with an orange tip.
- feather: We have had a few peacock feathers around for many years; we used to buy them to play with our cats.
- butterfly: BBC Nature notes Some peacock butterflies are on the wing.
- tail: A peacock tail can stop a clock, can shock a room to silence.
Browse dictionary entries near peacock
- ‹ peacoat
- ‹ peachy
- ‹ peaches-and-cream
- ‹ peachblow
- ‹ peach
- ‹ peacetime
- ‹ peacenik
- ‹ peacemaker
- ‹ peacekeeping
- ‹ peacekeeper
- peacock blue ›
- peacock chair ›
- peacock ore ›
- peafowl ›
- peag ›
- peahen ›
- peak ›
- peak cell rate ›
- peaked ›
- peaky ›

