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pavonine

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

adjective

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

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Origin of pavonine

1650–60; <Latin pāvōnīnus, derivative of pāvō (stem pāvōn-) peacock; see -ine1

Words nearby pavonine

Pavlova, Pavlovian, Pavlovian conditioning, Pavlov's dogs, Pavo, pavonine, pavor nocturnus, paw, pawky, pawl, pawn
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for pavonine

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

    The Book of Snobs|William Makepeace Thackeray

British Dictionary definitions for pavonine

pavonine
/ (ˈpævəˌnaɪn) /

adjective

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

Word Origin for pavonine

C17: from Latin pāvōnīnus, from pāvō peacock
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