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cock-of-the-rock

[ kok-uhv-thuh-rok ]
/ ˈkɒk əv ðəˈrɒk /
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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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Origin of cock-of-the-rock

First recorded in 1815–25
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cock-of-the-rock in a sentence

  • The elegant crested bird called cock-of-the-rock, admirably described by Buffon, is a native of the woody mountains of Macoushia.

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
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