# peacock

Pronunciation: say "PEE-kok" US /ˈpikɑk/, UK /ˈpiːkɒk/

## Noun

1. Any peafowl, male or female, in either of the genera Pavo and Afropavo.
   - Simple: A large bird of the type famous for its fancy tail feathers, either male or female.
   - _The zookeeper explained that their female peacock had stopped laying eggs that spring._
   - _Wild peacocks of both sexes roost in tall trees at night to avoid predators._
2. A male peafowl, especially of the species Pavo cristatus, famous for its brilliant, iridescent, eye-spotted tail.
   - Simple: A large male bird with a huge fan of shiny blue and green tail feathers.
   - _A peacock fanned its shimmering train as the peahen wandered past, apparently unimpressed._
   - _The estate kept a single peacock, whose harsh dawn cries carried across the whole valley._
4. A pompous or vainglorious person.
   - Simple: A person who is very proud and loves to show off.
   - _The senator was a strutting peacock who treated every hearing as his personal stage._
   - _Critics dismissed the director as a peacock more interested in applause than in craft._
6. Any of various Asian swallowtail butterflies of the genus Papilio.
   - Simple: A type of large Asian butterfly with shiny, colorful wings.
   - _A peacock drifted across the forest clearing, its iridescent hindwings flashing blue._
   - _Nineteenth-century collectors prized peacocks netted in the foothills of the Himalayas._

## Verb

3. To walk with a proud, self-important air; to strut about haughtily.
   - Simple: To walk around in a proud way, showing off.
   - _Fresh off his promotion, he peacocked through the office as if he owned the building._
   - _Politicians peacock for the cameras whenever a microphone appears._
5. To dress or behave ostentatiously in order to impress women.
   - Simple: To dress or act in a loud, showy way to get women to notice you.
   - _He spent an hour choosing an outfit, ready to peacock at the rooftop bar._
   - _Half the men at the festival were peacocking in sequined hats and fur coats._

## Origin

From Middle English pecok, formed from "pea" (meaning peafowl or peacock) plus "cock". It compares with Old Norse páfugl (peacock, literally "pea-fowl") and related English words like peahen and peachick.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/peacock (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).