Cockatrice — Cock a*trice ( tr[imac]s; 277), n. [OF. cocatrice crocodile, F. cocatrix, cocatrice. The word is a corruption from the same source as E. crocodile, but was confused with cock the bird, F. coq, whence arose the fable that the animal was produced… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
cockatrice — late 14c., from O.Fr. cocatriz, altered by influence of coq from L.L. *calcatrix, from L. calcare to tread (from calx (1) heel ), as translation of Gk. ikhneumon, lit. tracker, tracer. In classical writings, an Egyptian animal of some sort, the… … Etymology dictionary
cockatrice — [käk′ə tris΄] n. [cocatrice < OFr cocatris, crocodile < LL calcatrix, she who treads < calcare, to tread < calx, heel: see CALCAR] 1. a fabulous serpent supposedly hatched from a cock s egg and having power to kill by a look 2. Bible… … English World dictionary
Cockatrice — For other uses, see Cockatrice (disambiguation). A cockatrice overdoor at Belvedere Castle (1869) in New York s Central Park A cockatrice is a legendary creature, essentially a two legged dragon with a rooster s head. An ornament in the drama and … Wikipedia
cockatrice — [14] The name of the cockatrice, a mythical serpent whose glance could kill, has a bizarre history. It started life as medieval Latin calcātrix, which meant literally ‘tracker, hunter’ (it was formed from the verb calcāre ‘tread, track’, a… … The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins
cockatrice — [14] The name of the cockatrice, a mythical serpent whose glance could kill, has a bizarre history. It started life as medieval Latin calcātrix, which meant literally ‘tracker, hunter’ (it was formed from the verb calcāre ‘tread, track’, a… … Word origins
cockatrice — The name of a fabulous monster, said to be hatched from a cock’s egg, having a fowl’s wings, the tail of a dragon, and a cock’s head. It was supposedly able to kill at a glance. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries cockatrice was used… … A dictionary of epithets and terms of address
cockatrice — noun Etymology: Middle English cocatrice, from Middle French cocatris ichneumon, cockatrice, from Medieval Latin cocatric , cocatrix ichneumon Date: 14th century a legendary serpent that is hatched by a reptile from a cock s egg and that has a… … New Collegiate Dictionary
cockatrice — /kok euh tris/, n. 1. a legendary monster with a deadly glance, supposedly hatched by a serpent from the egg of a cock, and commonly represented with the head, legs, and wings of a cock and the body and tail of a serpent. Cf. basilisk (def. 1). 2 … Universalium
cockatrice — noun A legendary creature about the size and shape of a dragon or wyvern, but in appearance resembling a giant rooster, with some lizard like characteristics. “Peace reigns in happy Luxor. The lion lies down with the lamb, and the child, if it… … Wiktionary
