noun
cockatrice
KAH-kuh-truhs/ˈkɑkətrəs/
A mythical serpent-like monster said to kill with its gaze.
In the legend, a cockatrice kills anyone who meets its gaze.
Etymology
Behind Old French cocatriz lies a name for an Egyptian animal said to track down and kill crocodiles. Confusion over that animal’s identity eventually made the name denote a basilisk-like serpent with a deadly glance.
In context
the basilisk was predominantly a demonic serpent, the cockatrice was an even more bizarre abomination, most often resembling a small wyvern but with the head of a rooster. What the cockatrice lacked in size
More examples
- The knight avoids looking directly at the cockatrice.
- Legends describe cockatrices as serpents with the heads of roosters.
- The villagers fear that a cockatrice lurks near the well.
Forms
cockatrice · cockatrices
Similar words
- basilisk
- A closely related mythical reptile, also credited with a deadly gaze.