definitions

cock-of-the-rock

[ kok-uh v-th uh-rok ]
/ ˈkɒk əv ðəˈrɒk /

noun, plural cocks-of-the-rock.

a brilliant orange-red bird of the genus Rupicola, of northern South America, having an erect crest that conceals the bill.

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Nearby words

cock's-foot, cock-a-doodle-doo, cock-a-hoop, cock-a-leekie, cock-and-bull story, cock-of-the-rock, cockabully, cockade, cockaigne, cockalorum, cockamamie

Origin of cock-of-the-rock

First recorded in 1815–25
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for cock-of-the-rock

cock-of-the-rock

noun

either of two tropical South American birds, Rupicola rupicola or R. peruviana, having an erectile crest and (in the male) a brilliant red or orange plumage: family Cotingidae (cotingas)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012