pavonine

Definition

Of or pertaining to the genus Pavo or its family Pavonidae, including the peafowl.

Etymology

From Latin pāvōnīnus, from pāvō (“peacock”).

Example Sentences

• "These rocks are a schist, and abound with the copper pyrites, which occasionally exhibits a pavonine tarnish. The schist is sometimes of a very deep gray colour, and is then the most rich in metal; sometimes also it has the green[…]"
• "It resembled from a distance porphyry, while much of it had a pavonine lustre, like the argentiferous galena of the Silver States in North America. The great weight suggested one mass of metal, and part of it had evidently been[…]"
• "362. Massive BORNITE, having a pavonine purple tarnish; with dolomite. Kenmare mine, Co. Kerry, Ireland. 363. Massive BORNITE, having a pavonine purple tarnish; with malachite and ochre."