Lexic.us

Definition of Basilisk

1. Noun. (classical mythology) a serpent (or lizard or dragon) able to kill with its breath or glance.

2. Noun. Ancient brass cannon.

3. Noun. Small crested arboreal lizard able to run on its hind legs; of tropical America.

Definition of Basilisk

1. n. 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.

Definition of Basilisk

1. Noun. A mythical (and heraldic) snake-like dragon type, reputed to be so venomous that its gaze was deadly. ¹

2. Noun. In heraldry, a type of dragon ¹

3. Noun. (zoology) A treedwelling type of lizard, of genus ''Basiliscus''. ¹

4. Noun. A type of large brass cannon. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Basilisk

1. a fabled serpent [n -S]

Medical Definition of Basilisk

1. 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. A lizard of the genus Basiliscus, belonging to the family Iguanidae. 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. A large piece of ordnance, so called from its supposed resemblance to the serpent of that name, or from its size. Origin: L. Basiliscus, Gr. Little king, kind of serpent, dim. Of king; so named from some prominences on the head resembling a crown. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Basilisk

basilic basilic vein basilica basilicae basilical basilican basilicas basilicok basilicon basilicons

basilicus basiliomata basilisc basiliscs basiliscusfibrase basilisk (current term) basilisks basiliximab basilolatry basilosaurus

basils basin basin of attraction basinal basinasal basinasal line basined basinet basinets basinful

Literary usage of Basilisk

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Observations on the Popular Antiquities of Great Britain: Chiefly by John Brand, Henry Ellis (1893)
"SIR THOMAS BROWNE informs that the generation of • basilisk is supposed to proceed from a ... But the basilisk of elder times was a proper kind of serpent, ..."

2. Northmost Australia: Three Centuries of Exploration, Discovery, and by Robert Logan Jack (1921)
"A~TER cruising among the islands of Polynesia from I4th May till 24th September, the "basilisk" left SYDNEY on 8th December, 1872, for Torres Strait and New ..."

3. Scandinavian Folk-lore: Illustrations of the Traditional Beliefs of the by William Alexander Craigie (1896)
"WHEN mead has been kept in a barrel for twenty years without being opened, a basilisk is formed there. It once happened in Randers, where there was a great ..."

4. Belgravia by Mary Elizabeth Braddon (1867)
"No longer a serpent or a twelve-legged cock, the basilisk came to be ... Whereas in more ancient times the basilisk had been wont to dwell in the full glare ..."

5. A Glossary: Or, Collection of Words, Phrases, Names, and Allusions to by Robert Nares (1859)
"Brown, however, distinguishes it from the ancient basilisk, and in so doing describes it ... But the basilisk of elder limes was a proper kind of serpent, ..."

6. Observations on Popular Antiquities Chiefly Illustrating the Origin of Our by John Brand, Henry Ellis (1900)
"The generation of a basilisk, we are instructed by Sir Thomas Browne, is supposed to ... But the basilisk of elder times was a proper kind of Serpent, ..."

7. Proceedings by Royal Geographical Society (Great Britain), Norton Shaw, Francis Galton, William Spottiswoode, Clements Robert Markham, Henry Walter Bates, John Scott Keltie (1875)
"Discoveries in Eastern New Guinea, by Captain Moresby and the Officers of HMS basilisk. By Captain J. MORESBY, EN IN November, 1873, a Paper of mine, ..."

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