peacock
/ˈpikɑk/noun, verb
peacock is spelled P-E-A-C-O-C-K: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,228th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, peacock means “A male peafowl, especially Pavo cristatus, notable for its brilliant iridescently ocellated tail” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of peacock is peacocks.
How many letters and syllables are in peacock?
| Letters | 7: P-E-A-C-O-C-K |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.8 times per million words; the 16,228th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is peacock?
Peacock appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,228th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce peacock?
- US /ˈpikɑk/
- UK /ˈpiːkɒk/
Peacock has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-peacock.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of peacock
- peacocks plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- peacocking participle, present
- peacocked participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does peacock mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
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
The meat of this bird.
- 4
A pompous or vainglorious person [from the 14th c.].
- 5
Any of various Asian species of papilionid butterflies of the genus Papilio.
verb
- 1
To strut about proudly or haughtily.
- 2
To engage in peacocking, ostentatious dress or behaviour to impress women.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Peacock in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | paon, paonne , se pavaner , faire le beau, pavoiser |
| German | Pfau, Pfauhahn |
| Portuguese | pavão real, pavão |
| Spanish | pavo real, pavorreal, pavo ruan, pavón |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does peacock come from?
From Middle English pecok, pekok, pocok, pacok, first component from Old English pēa, pāwa (“peacock, peafowl”), ultimately from Latin pāvō; equivalent to pea + cock. Compare Old Norse páfugl (“peacock”, literally “peafowl”), and English peahen, peachick, etc.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).