peacock

[ pee-kok ]
See synonyms for peacock on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural pea·cocks, (especially collectively) pea·cock.
  1. the male of the peafowl distinguished by its long, erectile, greenish, iridescent tail coverts that are brilliantly marked with ocellated spots and that can be spread in a fan.

  2. any peafowl.

  1. a vain, self-conscious person.

  2. Peacock, Astronomy. the constellation Pavo.

verb (used without object)
  1. to make a vainglorious display; strut like a peacock.

Origin of peacock

1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English pecok, pocok equivalent to pe- (Old English pēa “peafowl,” from Latin pāvōn-, stem of pavō peacock) + cok (Old English coc cock1)

Other words from peacock

  • pea·cock·er·y, peacockism, noun
  • peacockish, peacocky, adjective
  • pea·cock·ish·ly, adverb
  • pea·cock·ish·ness, noun

Other definitions for Peacock (2 of 2)

Peacock
[ pee-kok ]

noun
  1. Thomas Love, 1785–1866, English poet and novelist.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use peacock in a sentence

  • For Charlotte had come in with a platter, and Nan turned about, peacocking before her unsurprised gaze.

    Old Crow | Alice Brown
  • Tourists as nuns, tourists as Turks, tourists as God-knows-what, all preening and peacocking!

    The Fortieth Door | Mary Hastings Bradley

British Dictionary definitions for peacock (1 of 2)

peacock

/ (ˈpiːˌkɒk) /


nounplural -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: pavonine

  2. another name for peafowl

  1. a vain strutting person

verb
  1. to display (oneself) proudly

  2. obsolete, slang, Australian to acquire (the best pieces of land) in such a way that the surrounding land is useless to others

Origin of peacock

1
C14 pecok, pe- from Old English pāwa (from Latin pāvō peacock) + cock 1

Derived forms of peacock

  • peacockish, adjective
  • peahen, fem n

British Dictionary definitions for Peacock (2 of 2)

Peacock

/ (ˈpiːˌkɒk) /


noun
  1. Thomas Love. 1785–1866, English novelist and poet, noted for his satirical romances, including Headlong Hall (1816) and Nightmare Abbey (1818)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with peacock

peacock

see proud as a peacock.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.