from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
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.
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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
The Devil's Dictionary (1881-1906)
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.
from
Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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}.)