noun
coxcomb
A plant with a showy flower head shaped like a rooster's comb.
A red coxcomb adds a splash of color to the garden.
Etymology
Cock and comb name the rooster’s fleshy crest. The plant borrows that combined name because its conspicuous folded flower head resembles the shape of the bird’s comb.
More examples
- She plants coxcombs along the sunny edge of the walkway.
- This coxcomb grows well in a large pot.
- We grow coxcombs for their bright, velvety flower heads.
Forms
coxcomb · coxcombs
Similar words
- cockscomb
- The more usual name for the same crested flowering plant.
- celosia
- A broader plant name that also includes plume-flowered varieties.