peafowl

[ pee-foul ]

/ ˈpiˌfaʊl /

noun, plural pea·fowls, (especially collectively) pea·fowl.

any of several gallinaceous birds of the genera Pavo, of India, Sri Lanka, southeastern Asia, and the East Indies, and Afropavo, of Africa.

Nearby words

peacock ore, peacock plant, peacock worm, peacock's tail, peacock-flower, peafowl, peag, peahen, peak, peak district, peak experience

Compare peacock, peahen.

Origin of peafowl

1795–1805; pea (see peacock) + fowl

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for peafowl

The methods of managing turkeys apply at nearly every point to the management of peafowl.
Our Domestic Birds|John H. Robinson
They include the domestic fowl, which has been derived from the wild jungle fowl of India, and other fowl, such as the peafowl.
An Australian Bird Book|John Albert Leach
Sunbirds, pheasants, and peafowl favour us with a gorgeous display of metallic hues.
Glimpses of Indian Birds|Douglas Dewar
Guiltless of tapestry, even of paper tattooed into isosceles triangles or fretted with peafowl tintages, were its walls.
The Army Mule and Other War Sketches|Henry A. Castle

In some parts of India peafowl may be seen in a state of semi-domestication and are regularly fed by temple keepers.
Jungle Folk|Douglas Dewar

British Dictionary definitions for peafowl

peafowl

/ (ˈpiːˌfaʊl) /

noun plural -fowls or -fowl

either of two large pheasants, Pavo cristatus (blue peafowl) of India and Ceylon and P. muticus (green peafowl) of SE Asia. The males (peacocks) have a characteristic bright plumageSee peacock (def. 1)

a rare closely related African species, Afropavo congensis (Congo peafowl), both sexes of which are brightly coloured

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