BASILISK


Meaning of BASILISK in English

[ 'bazɪlɪsk ]

■ noun

1》 a mythical reptile with a lethal gaze or breath, hatched by a serpent from a cock's egg.

↘ Heraldry another term for cockatrice .

2》 a long, slender Central American lizard, the male of which has a crest running from the head to the tail. [ Basiliscus plumifrons .]

Origin

ME: via L. from Gk ~os 'little king, serpent', from basileus 'king'.

Concise Oxford English vocab.      Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка.