Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “peacock” come from?

Peacock comes from Middle English pecok, from Middle English cok, from Old English cōc, from Latin coccum, ultimately from Latin coquo meaning to cook.

peacock (English): A male peafowl, especially "Pavo cristatus",...

Definitions

  1. A male peafowl, especially "Pavo cristatus",...

Ancestry of “peacock”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishpecokThe peacock or its meat
2Old Englishpāwapeacock
3Proto-Germanicpāwôpeacock, peafowl
4Latinpāvō—
5Ancient Greekταώςpeacock; type of fish

Words derived from “peacock”

  • peacocking
  • peacocky
  • pikake
  • peacockery
  • peacockish
  • péacógach
  • péacóg
  • pīkake
Every word from Ancient Greek ταώς →