cockscomb

[koks-kohm]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cockscomb ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the comb or caruncle of a cock.

the cap, resembling a cock'scomb, formerly worn by professional fools.

a garden plant, Celosia cristata, of the amaranth family, with flowers, commonly crimson or purple, in a broad spike somewhat resembling the comb of a cock.

any of several other species of the genus Celosia.

an elongate prickleback, Anoplarchus purpurescens, living among submerged rocks along the Pacific coast of North America.

a gaslight burner having four or more jets.

coxcomb(def 1).

Origin of cockscomb

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at cock¹, 's¹, comb¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for cockscomb

ridge, panache, tuft, plume, crown, feather, comb, hogback, tassel, aigrette, chine, mane, cockscomb, caruncle

Examples from the Web for cockscomb

Historical Examples of cockscomb

I did not answer, but my face flushed as red as a cockscomb.
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt
Cockscomb, crimson and scarlet; two to three feet; August and September.
A Woman's Hardy Garden
Helena Rutherfurd Ely
There was the twist round the head, the cockscomb, the hanging piece of liripipe.
English Costume
Dion Clayton Calthrop
From the shape of the flames this form of burner received the name "cockscomb."
Artificial Light
M. Luckiesh
There is a row of narrow green pointed leaves, standing up like a cockscomb behind each row of flowers.
Flowers Shown to the Children
C. E. Smith

British Dictionary definitions for cockscomb

cockscomb

coxcomb

noun

the comb of a domestic cock

an amaranthaceous garden or pot plant, Celosia cristata, with yellow, crimson, or purple feathery plumelike flowers in a broad spike resembling the comb of a cock

any similar species of Celosia

informal a conceited dandy

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

Word Origin and History for cockscomb

c.1400, "comb or crest of a cock," from possessive of cock (n.1) + comb (n.). Meaning "cap worn by a professional fool" is from 1560s; hence "conceited fool" (1560s), a sense passing into the derivative coxcomb. As a plant name, from 1570s.