peafowl
peafowl Lexical Profile
peafowl Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Any of several species of large, terrestrial birds in the pheasant family (Phasianidae), native to forests in Asia and Africa, encompassing the extravagantly plumed male peacock, the subtler female peahen, and their offspring.
"The estate grounds were famous for the colorful peafowl that roamed freely among the botanical gardens."
Word Nuance & Usage
"Peafowl" is the correct, gender-neutral collective term for the species, whereas "peacock" strictly refers only to the male and "peahen" to the female, though "peacock" is frequently used colloquially to refer to both.
• Rhymes for peafowl
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from Middle English 'pefoul', combining 'pea' (from Old English 'pawa', ultimately from Latin 'pavo', meaning peacock) and 'fowl' (from Old English 'fugol', meaning bird).
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.