pavonine

American

[pav-uh-nahyn, -nin] / ˈpæv əˌnaɪn, -nɪn /

adjective

of or like a peacock.
resembling the feathers of a peacock, as in coloring.

pavonine British

/ ˈpævəˌnaɪn /

adjective

of or resembling a peacock or the colours, design, or iridescence of a peacock's tail

"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

Etymology

Origin of pavonine

1650–60; < Latin pāvōnīnus, derivative of pāvō (stem pāvōn- ) peacock; -ine ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The snapshots are affectionate and admiring, and the contradictions in them can give you whiplash — until the end Avedon was pavonine and recessive, autocratic and inhibited, everyone’s best friend and utterly inscrutable.

From New York Times

If that turns you off, it's easy to dismiss Revolution as little more than a narcissism trip – a pavonine linguistic display with a deficit of real substance.

From The Guardian

Scarce one of us domestic birds but imitates the lanky, pavonine strut, and shrill, genteel scream.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023