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basilisk

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basilisk

 

  4  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Basilisk  \Bas"i*lisk\,  n.  [L.  basiliscus,  Gr  ?  little  king, 
  kind  of  serpent,  dim.  of  ?  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}. 
 
  Make  me  not  sighted  like  the  basilisk.  --Shak. 
 
  2.  (Zo["o]l.)  A  lizard  of  the  genus  {Basiliscus},  belonging 
  to  the  family  {Iguanid[ae]}. 
 
  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 
 
  3.  (Mil.)  A  large  piece  of  ordnance,  so  called  from  its 
  supposed  resemblance  to  the  serpent  of  that  name  or  from 
  its  size.  [Obs.] 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [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.




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