Basilisk

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Basilisk \Bas"i*lisk\, n. [L. basiliscus, Gr. basili`skos little
     king, kind of serpent, dim. of basiley`s king; -- so named
     from some prominences on the head resembling a crown.]
     1. A fabulous serpent, or dragon. The ancients alleged that
        its hissing would drive away all other serpents, and that
        its breath, and even its look, was fatal. See


        {Cockatrice}.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Make me not sighted like the basilisk. --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Zool.) A lizard of the genus {Basiliscus}, belonging to
        the family {Iguanid[ae]}.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: This genus is remarkable for a membranous bag rising
           above the occiput, which can be filled with air at
           pleasure; also for an elevated crest along the back,
           that can be raised or depressed at will.
           [1913 Webster]
  
     3. (Mil.) A large piece of ordnance, so called from its
        supposed resemblance to the serpent of that name, or from
        its size. [Obs.]
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  basilisk
       n 1: (classical mythology) a serpent (or lizard or dragon) able
            to kill with its breath or glance
       2: ancient brass cannon
       3: small crested arboreal lizard able to run on its hind legs;
          of tropical America

From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:

  Basilisk
     (in R.V., Isa. 11:8; 14:29; 59:5; Jer. 8:17), the "king
     serpent," as the name imports; a fabulous serpent said to be
     three spans long, with a spot on its head like a crown. Probably
     the yellow snake is intended. (See {COCKATRICE}.)
     

From THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993) [devils]:

  BASILISK, n.  The cockatrice.  A sort of serpent hatched form the egg
  of a cock.  The basilisk had a bad eye, and its glance was fatal. 
  Many infidels deny this creature's existence, but Semprello Aurator
  saw and handled one that had been blinded by lightning as a punishment
  for having fatally gazed on a lady of rank whom Jupiter loved.  Juno
  afterward restored the reptile's sight and hid it in a cave.  Nothing
  is so well attested by the ancients as the existence of the basilisk,
  but the cocks have stopped laying.