peacock Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun European butterfly having reddish-brown wings each marked with a purple eyespot
    peacock butterfly; Inachis io.
  2. noun male peafowl; having a crested head and very large fanlike tail marked with iridescent eyes or spots

WordNet

Pea"cock` noun
Etymology
OE. pecok. Pea- in this word is from AS. peá, pawa, peacock, fr. L. pavo, prob. of Oriental origin; cf. Gr. , , Per. taus, tawus, Ar. tawus. See Cock the bird.
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) 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. ✍ The upper tail coverts, which are long and capable of erection, are each marked with a black spot bordered by concentric bands of brilliant blue, green, and golden colors. The common domesticated species is Pavo cristatus. The Javan peacock (P. muticus) is more brilliantly colored than the common species.
  2. In common usage, the species in general or collectively; a peafowl.

Webster 1913