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definitions

cockscomb

[koks-kohm]
See more synonyms for cockscomb on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the comb or caruncle of a cock.
  2. the cap, resembling a cock'scomb, formerly worn by professional fools.
  3. 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.
  4. any of several other species of the genus Celosia.
  5. an elongate prickleback, Anoplarchus purpurescens, living among submerged rocks along the Pacific coast of North America.
  6. a gaslight burner having four or more jets.
  7. 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. 2018

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.

British Dictionary definitions for cockscomb

cockscomb

coxcomb

noun
  1. the comb of a domestic cock
  2. 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
  3. any similar species of Celosia
  4. 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
n.

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.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper