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peacock |
3 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Peacock \Pea"cock`\, n. [OE. pecok. Pea- in this word is from AS pe['a], p[=a]wa, peacock, fr L. pavo, prob. of Oriental origin; cf Gr ?, ?, Per. t[=a]us, t[=a]wus, Ar t[=a]wu?s. See {Cock} the bird.] 1. (Zo["o]l.) 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. Note: 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. {Peacock butterfly} (Zo["o]l.), a handsome European butterfly ({Hamadryas Io}) having ocelli like those of peacock. {Peacock fish} (Zo["o]l.), the European blue-striped wrasse ({Labrus variegatus}); -- so called on account of its brilliant colors. Called also {cook wrasse} and {cook}. {Peacock pheasant} (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of handsome Asiatic pheasants of the genus {Polyplectron}. They resemble the peacock in color. From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: peacock n 1: European butterfly having reddish-brown wings each marked with a purple eyespot [syn: {peacock butterfly}, {Inachis io}] 2: male peafowl; having a crested head and very large fanlike tail marked with iridescent eyes or spots From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]: Peacock (Heb. tuk, apparently borrowed from the Tamil tokei). This bird is indigenous to India. It was brought to Solomon by his ships from Tarshish (1 Kings 10:22; 2 Chr. 9:21), which in this case was probably a district on the Malabar coast of India, or in Ceylon. The word so rendered in Job 39:13 literally means wild, tumultuous crying, and properly denotes the female ostrich (q.v.).
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