Ostentation
noun /ˌɒstənˈteɪʃən/ — A group of peacocks — named for exactly what they're doing.
Definition
The collective noun for a group of peacocks — named after the quality that defines them: ostentatious display, the performance of beauty for an audience.
Beyond the definition
The person who named this was either very literal or very clever. An ostentation of peacocks: a gathering of creatures whose entire identity is display. The collective noun doubles as a personality assessment.
Origin & history
English collective noun tradition. Latin 'ostentatio' — a showing, display — from 'ostentare' (to display). Applied to peacocks, it achieves the rare feat of being both accurate and comic.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
An ostentation of peacocks moved across the garden with the confidence of creatures who know they're magnificent.
She called her book launch 'a small ostentation' — the peacock allusion was deliberate.
The word 'ostentation' is more restrained when applied to people than to peacocks.
Synonyms
parade, display (of peacocks), muster
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Word in focus
An ostentation of peacocks
An ostentation of peafowl gathered on the lawn, their long tails trailing over the grass.
Ostentation is a colourful collective name commonly used for peacocks. The photograph includes male and female peafowl together, not a group of males all displaying their trains.
Image credit: VT98Fan · CC BY-SA 3.0 (license)
Resized and converted to WebP; full composition retained.