English Dictionary: peacock butterfly | by the DICT Development Group |
2 results for peacock butterfly | |
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]: | |
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From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Peacock \Pea"cock`\, n. [OE. pecok. Pea- in this word is from AS. pe[a0], p[be]wa, peacock, fr. L. pavo, prob. of Oriental origin; cf. Gr. [?], [?], Per. t[be]us, t[be]wus, Ar. t[be]wu[?]s. See {Cock} the bird.] 1. (Zo[94]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[94]l.), a handsome European butterfly ({Hamadryas Io}) having ocelli like those of peacock. {Peacock fish} (Zo[94]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[94]l.), any one of several species of handsome Asiatic pheasants of the genus {Polyplectron}. They resemble the peacock in color. |