cockatrice

[ kok-uh-tris ]

/ ˈkɒk ə trɪs /

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noun

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.Compare basilisk (def. 1).

a venomous serpent. Isaiah 11:8.

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Origin of cockatrice

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English cocatrice, from Middle French cocatris, from Medieval Latin caucātrīces (plural), Latin calcātrīx (unattested), feminine of calcātor (unattested) ”tracker,” equivalent to calcā(re) “to tread,” verbal derivative of calx “heel” + -tor agent suffix; the Latin was a direct translation of Greek word ichneúmōn, having the same meaning. See -trix, -tor, ichneumon

Words nearby cockatrice

cock-and-bull story, cockapoo, cock a snook, cockatiel, cockatoo, cockatrice, Cockayne, cockboat, cockchafer, Cockcroft, cockcrow

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cockatrice in a sentence

The cockatrice lifted itself up on its tail and looked at him with red eyes.
The King of Ireland's Son|Padraic Colum
And the suckling child shall play on the hole of the asp; and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice's den.
History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints|Joseph Smith
The fabulous animal, the cockatrice, was believed to result from a "venomous egg" laid by an aged cock, and hatched by a toad.
Traditions, Superstitions and Folk-lore|Charles Hardwick
Those hens pecked the catch loose, and that cockatrice fairly staggered them.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 156, May 21, 1919.|Various

Probably from the same source came such mythical creatures as the dragon, the wyvern, and the cockatrice.
A Handbook of Pictorial History|Henry W. Donald

British Dictionary definitions for cockatrice

cockatrice

/ (ˈkɒkətrɪs, -ˌtraɪs) /

noun

a legendary monster, part snake and part cock, that could kill with a glance

another name for basilisk (def. 1)

Word Origin for cockatrice

C14: from Old French cocatris, from Medieval Latin cocatrix, from Late Latin calcātrix trampler, tracker (translating Greek ikhneumon ichneumon), from Latin calcāre to tread, from calx heel

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