Trends ofpeacock
View usage for:
peacock
(piːkɒk)
Word forms: plural peacocks
1. countable noun
A peacock is a large bird. The male has a very large tail covered with blue and green spots, which it can spread out like a fan.
...peacocks strutting slowly across the garden.
...peacock feathers.
2. countable noun
If you describe someone, especially a man, as a peacock, you mean that they are arrogant or like dressing or behaving in a way that draws attention to themselves.
[disapproval] He was a born peacock.
He introduced himself as 'the leader' and strutted up and down like a peacock.
peacock in British English
(ˈpiːˌkɒk)
nounWord forms: plural -cocks or -cock
1.
a male peafowl, having a crested head and a very large fanlike tail marked with blue and green eyelike spots
▶ Related adjective: pavonine2. another name for peafowl
3.
a vain strutting person
verb
4.
to display (oneself) proudly
5. obsolete, slang, Australian
to acquire (the best pieces of land) in such a way that the surrounding land is useless to others
Derived forms
peacockish (ˈpeaˌcockish) adjective
peahen (ˈpeaˌhen)
feminine noun
Word origin
C14 pecok, pe- from Old English pāwa (from Latin pāvō peacock) + cock1Peacock in British English
(ˈpiːˌkɒk)
noun
Thomas Love. 1785–1866, English novelist and poet, noted for his satirical romances, including Headlong Hall (1816) and Nightmare Abbey (1818)
Peacock in American English
(ˈpiˌkɑk)
Thomas Love1785-1866; Eng. novelist & poet
peacock in American English
(ˈpiˌkɑk)
nounWord forms: plural ˈpeaˌcocks or ˈpeaˌcock
1.
a.
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
b. Loosely
any peafowl
2.
a vain, strutting person
verb intransitive
3.
to display vanity in behavior, dress, etc.; strut
Derived forms
peacockish (ˈpeaˌcockish) adjective or ˈpeaˌcocky
Word origin
ME pacok < pa, peacock (< OE pea < early WGmc borrowing < L pavo, peacock, ? akin to Gr taōs, ? of Asian orig.) + cok, cock1Image ofpeacock
© Hintau Aliaksei, shutterstock
Word lists withpeacock
related adjectives, birdIn other languagespeacock
British English: peacock /ˈpiːˌkɒk/ NOUN
A peacock is a large bird. The male has a very large tail covered with blue and green spots, which it can spread out like a fan.
...peacocks strutting slowly across the garden.
- American English: peacock
- Arabic: طَاوُوسٌ
- Brazilian Portuguese: pavão
- Chinese: 孔雀
- Croatian: paun
- Czech: páv
- Danish: påfugl
- Dutch: pauw
- European Spanish: pavo real
- Finnish: riikinkukko
- French: paon
- German: Pfau
- Greek: παγώνι
- Italian: pavone
- Japanese: クジャク
- Korean: 공작새
- Norwegian: påfugl
- Polish: paw
- European Portuguese: pavão
- Romanian: păun
- Russian: павлин
- Latin American Spanish: pavo real
- Swedish: påfågel
- Thai: นกยูง
- Turkish: tavus kuşu
- Ukrainian: павич
- Vietnamese: con công
All related terms of 'peacock'
Chinese translation of 'peacock'
peacock
(ˈpiːkɔk)
n (c)
-
孔雀
(kǒngquè) (只, zhī)