peacock

peacock
peacock c.1300, poucock, from M.E. po "peacock" + coc (see COCK (Cf. cock) (n.)). Po is from O.E. pawa "peafowl," from L. pavo (gen. pavonis), which, with Gk. taos said to be ultimately from Tamil tokei (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." [Epiphanus]

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Peacock — (engl. für Pfau) bezeichnet: einen Stern, siehe Alpha Pavonis eine Computerfirma, Actebis Peacock GmbH eine Stadt in Texas, Peacock (Texas) ein amerikanisches Plattenlabel, Peacock Records eine Winterthurer Punk /Rockabilly und Psychobillyband,… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Peacock — Pea cock (p[=e] k[o^]k ), 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. taw s, taw^s, Per. t[=a]us, t[=a]wus, Ar. t[=a]w[=u]s. See {Cock} the bird.] 1. (Zo[ o]l.) The male of… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • PEACOCK — PEACOCK, bird called ταως in Greek and tavvas in the Mishnah. The peacock (Pavo cristatus) is a ritually clean bird (see dietary laws ) belonging to the pheasant family. In mishnaic times some wealthy people in Ereẓ Israel bred the peacock as an… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Peacock — Constelación Pavo Ascensión recta α 20h 35min 38.9s Declinación δ 56° 44’ 06’’ Distancia …   Wikipedia Español

  • PEACOCK (T. L.) — PEACOCK THOMAS LOVE (1785 1866) En 1812, Peacock rencontra Shelley; puis, en 1817, il passa quelques mois à Great Marlow en sa compagnie. Cette période joua un rôle décisif dans le développement de sa carrière d’écrivain. Les idées qui… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • peacock — [pē′käk΄] n. pl. peacocks or peacock [ME pacok < pa, peacock (< OE pea < early WGmc borrowing < L pavo, peacock, ? akin to Gr taōs, ? of Asian orig.) + cok,COCK1] 1. a) any male peafowl, esp., one of a species (Pavo cristatus) with a… …   English World dictionary

  • Peacock —   [ piːkɔk],    1) George, britischer Mathematiker, * Denton (bei Darlington) 9. 4. 1791, ✝ Ely 8. 11. 1858; lehrte in Cambridge (ab 1837 als Professor) und wurde später Dechant von Ely. Peacock errang große Verdienste um die Neubelebung der… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • peacock — ► NOUN ▪ a large crested pheasant of which the male has very long tail feathers with eye like markings that can be fanned out in display. ORIGIN Old English, from Latin pavo peacock + COCK(Cf. ↑cock) …   English terms dictionary

  • Peacock — Peacock, Thomas Love …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Peacock — Peacock, Thomas Love (1785 1866) a British writer and poet who used ↑satire (=a way of writing in which you make someone seem funny in order to show their faults) to criticize the politicians and writers of his time. His most famous works are… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

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