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What does Peacock mean?

Definitions for Peacock
ˈpiˌkɒkpea·cock

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word Peacock.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. peacock, peacock butterfly, Inachis ionoun

    European butterfly having reddish-brown wings each marked with a purple eyespot

  2. peacocknoun

    male peafowl; having a crested head and very large fanlike tail marked with iridescent eyes or spots

Wiktionary

  1. peacocknoun

    A male or female pheasant of the two genera: Pavo or Afropavo, whose males have extravagant tails.

  2. Etymology: From M.E. po + coc (see cock (n.)). Po is from O.E. pawa, from L. pavo (gen. pavonis), which, with Gk. ταώς, said to be ultimately from தோகை (but perhaps is imitative; Latin represented the peacock's sound as paupulo). The Latin word also is the source of O.H.G. pfawo, Ger. Pfau, Du. pauw, O.C.S. pavu. Used as the type of a vainglorious person from late 14c. Its flesh superstitiously believed to be incorruptible (even St. Augustine credits this). "When he sees his feet, he screams wildly, thinking that they are not in keeping with the rest of his body."

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Peacocknoun

    [Of this word the etymology is not known: perhaps it is peak cock, from the tuft of feathers on its head; the peak of women being an ancient ornament: if it be not rather a corruption of beaucoq, Fr. from the more striking lustre of its spangled train.] A fowl eminent for the beauty of his feathers, and particularly of his tail.

    Etymology: pawa , Saxon, pavo, Lat.

    Let frantick Talbot triumph for a while;
    And, like a peacock, sweep along his tail. William Shakespeare.

    The birds that are hardest to be drawn, are the tame birds; as cock, turky-cock and peacock. Henry Peacham.

    The peacock, not at thy command, assumes
    His glorious train; nor estrich her rare plumes. George Sandys.

    The peacock ’s plumes thy tackle must not fail,
    Nor the dear purchase of the sable’s tail. John Gay.

Wikipedia

  1. Peacock

    Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera Pavo and Afropavo within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are referred to as peahens, although peafowl of either sex are often referred to colloquially as "peacocks." The two Asiatic species are the blue or Indian peafowl originally of the Indian subcontinent, and the green peafowl of Southeast Asia; the one African species is the Congo peafowl, native only to the Congo Basin. Male peafowl are known for their piercing calls and their extravagant plumage. The latter is especially prominent in the Asiatic species, which have an eye-spotted "tail" or "train" of covert feathers, which they display as part of a courtship ritual. The functions of the elaborate iridescent colouration and large "train" of peacocks have been the subject of extensive scientific debate. Charles Darwin suggested that they served to attract females, and the showy features of the males had evolved by sexual selection. More recently, Amotz Zahavi proposed in his handicap theory that these features acted as honest signals of the males' fitness, since less-fit males would be disadvantaged by the difficulty of surviving with such large and conspicuous structures.

ChatGPT

  1. peacock

    A peacock is a type of large, colorful bird, native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, known for their iridescent tails. These tail feathers, or "coverts," spread out in a distinctive train that is more than 60 percent of the bird's total body length and boast colorful "eye" markings of blue, gold, red, and other hues. The male is known as a 'peacock' and the female as a 'peahen', while the collective term for these birds is 'peafowl'. They are best known for their magnificent plumage, which they display as part of courtship. They are omnivorous and eat mostly plants, insect, and small creatures.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Peacocknoun

    the male of any pheasant of the genus Pavo, of which at least two species are known, native of Southern Asia and the East Indies

  2. Peacocknoun

    in common usage, the species in general or collectively; a peafowl

  3. Etymology: [OE. pecok. Pea- in this word is from AS. pe, pwa, peacock, fr. L. pavo, prob. of Oriental origin; cf. Gr. taw`s, taw^s, Per. tus, twus, Ar. tws. See Cock the bird.]

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Peacock

    pē′kok, n. a large gallinaceous bird of the pheasant kind, remarkable for the beauty of its plumage, esp. that of its tail:—fem. Pea′hen.—v.t. to cause to strut like a peacock.—v.i. to strut about proudly.—ns. Pea′chick, the young of the pea-fowl; Pea′cock-fish, a variegated labroid fish; Pea′-fowl, the peacock or peahen. [A.S. pawe—L. pavo—Gr. taōs—Pers. tāwus; and cock (q.v.).]

Editors Contribution

  1. peacock

    A type of bird created and produced in various species.

    Peacocks are a beautiful bird with such beautiful bright colored feathers.


    Submitted by MaryC on January 2, 2017  

Suggested Resources

  1. peacock

    The peacock symbol -- In this Symbols.com article you will learn about the meaning of the peacock symbol and its characteristic.

  2. peacock

    Song lyrics by peacock -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by peacock on the Lyrics.com website.

Etymology and Origins

  1. Peacock

    An inn sign dating from the Crusades, when, the flesh of the peacock being deemed incorruptible, this bird was adopted by many a knight as a crest, typical of the Resurrection. “By the peacock” was a common oath in those days.

Biographical Dictionary of Freethinkers

  1. Peacock

    Or Pecock (Reginald), the father of English rationalism, born about 1390, and educated at Oriel College Oxford, of which he was chosen fellow in 1417. Was successively Bishop of St Asaph, 1444, and Chichester, 1450, by the favor of Humphrey, the good Duke of Gloster. He declared that Scripture must in all cases be accommodated to “the doom of reason.” He questioned the genuineness of the Apostles’ Creed. In 1457 he was accused of heresy, recanted from fear of martyrdom, was deprived of his bishopric, and imprisoned in a monastery at Canterbury, where he used to repeat to those who visited him, “Wit hath wonder, that reason cannot skan, How a Moder is Mayd, and God is Man.” His books were publicly burnt at Oxford. He died in 1460. His influence doubtless contributed to the Reformation.

Surnames Frequency by Census Records

  1. PEACOCK

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Peacock is ranked #1659 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

    The Peacock surname appeared 21,712 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 would have the surname Peacock.

    83.5% or 18,149 total occurrences were White.
    10.9% or 2,386 total occurrences were Black.
    2.2% or 486 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
    1.8% or 406 total occurrences were of two or more races.
    0.7% or 169 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.
    0.5% or 115 total occurrences were Asian.

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of Peacock in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of Peacock in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of Peacock in a Sentence

  1. Dolly Parton:

    A peacock who rests on its feathers is just another turkey.

  2. Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray:

    She is a peacock in everything but beauty.

  3. Baltasar Gracian:

    At 20 a man is a peacock, at 30 a lion, at 40 a camel, at 50 a serpent, at 60 a dog, at 70 an ape, and at 80 nothing.

  4. Debasish Mridha, M.D.:

    Be like a peacock and dance with all of your beauty.

  5. Hindu Poetess:

    The dull-hued turkey apes the gait Of lordly peacock, richly plumed; And thus the poetaster shows When he would fain his verse recite.

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"Peacock." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 Dec. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/Peacock>.

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