cockatrice
/ˈkɒkətɹaɪs/ noun
Forms cockatrices
- noun (mythology, obsolete) Synonym of basilisk, a serpentine dragon so poisonous that even its gaze is deadly.
- noun (mythology, folklore, fantasy) A monster with a lethal gaze or breath, originally believed to originate from a cock egg brooded over by a snake or toad, later specifically combining serpentine and landfowl features and particularly (heraldry) a rooster-headed wyvern.
- noun (obsolete) Synonym of crocodile.
- noun (archaic, derogatory) An evil, deceitful, or destructive person.
- noun (archaic, derogatory) Synonym of whore, a female prostitute, a sexually promiscuous woman.
Synonyms
basilisk basilicock crocodile antimodel bad guy baddie bastard beggar blackguard bounder cad coistril evildoer fustilarian harlot heavy knave lidderon makeshift miscreant
Etymology
From Middle English cocatrice, from Old French cocatriz (“basilisk, cockatrice”), from Late Latin calcātrīx (“female trampler, treader”), from Latin calcāre (“to trample, to walk upon, to oppress”) + -trīx (“-ess: forming feminine agentives”), from calx (“heel”). Its eventual association with poultry influenced by cock (“rooster, male chicken”), q.v.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “cockatrice”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details