peacock

Etymology

From Middle English pecok, pekok, pocok, pacok, equivalent to pea (“peafowl; peacock”) + cock. Compare Old Norse páfugl (“peacock”, literally “pea-fowl”), and English peahen, peachick, etc.

noun

1. A male peafowl, especially Pavo cristatus, notable for its brilliant iridescently ocellated tail.
2. A peafowl (of the genus Pavo or Afropavo), either male or female.
3. A vainglorious person [from the 14th c.].
4. (entomology) Any of various Asian species of papilionid butterflies of the genus Papilio.

verb

1. (intransitive) To strut about proudly or haughtily.
   A routine border-check in upstate New York had turned into a back-room interrogation, and I was worried, because the three friends I was traveling with didn’t respond to authority well. I could almost hear the wry grins cracking their faces as the officers peacocked. “Is U.S. Customs a joke to you?” one officer asked. My friend Alex said, “No law against smiling, sir.” 2014-05-30, Will Butler, “The Mark of Cane”, in The New York Times Magazine
2. (intransitive) To engage in peacocking, ostentatious dress or behaviour to impress women.