different between cockatrice vs elephant

English

Etymology

First attested 1382 as Middle English cocatrice (“basilisk”), from Old French cocatriz, from Late Latin calc?tr?x (“she who treads upon something”), from Latin calc? (“tread”), from calx (“heel, hoof”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?k?k?tra?s/, /?k?k?tr?s/

Noun

cockatrice (plural cockatrices)

1. (mythology) A legendary creature about the size and shape of a dragon or wyvern, but in appearance resembling a giant rooster, with some lizard-like characteristics.

   Coordinate terms: basilisk, wyvern

   Hypernym: chimera

   • c. 1910, Joseph Walker McSpadden, The Spell of Egypt

     “Peace reigns in happy Luxor. The lion lies down with the lamb, and the child, if it will, may harmlessly put its hand into the cockatrice’s den.”

2. (obsolete) Mistress, harlot.
3. (fantasy, folklore) A snake or serpent that appears to be hatched of a rooster, or cock's, egg.
4. (speculated) The cobra. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
5. (obsolete, figuratively) Any venomous or deadly thing.

Translations

Further reading

• cockatrice on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

References

• For meaning "mistress": 1949, John Dover Wilson (compiler), Life in Shakespeare's England. A Book of Elizabethan Prose, Cambridge at the University Press. 1st ed. 1911, 2nd ed. 1913, 8th reprint. In Glossary and Notes
• For meaning "a snake of a chicken's egg:" 1828, Noah Webster, American Dictionary of the English language.
• For "cobra:" an article, “Cockatrice” or “Adder” in Isaiah 11:8 et al.?

English

Etymology

From Middle English elefant, elefaunt, from Old French elefant, elefan, olifant, re-latinized in Middle French as elephant, from Latin elephantus, from Ancient Greek ?????? (eléph?s) (gen. ????????? (eléphantos)). Believed to be derived from an Afroasiatic form such as Proto-Berber *e?u (“elephant”) (compare Tahaggart Tamahaq êlu, Tamasheq alu) or Egyptian ?bw (“elephant; ivory”). More at ivory. Replaced Middle English olifant (from the aforementioned Old French form, from Vulgar Latin *olifantus), which replaced Old English elpend (“elephant”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??l?f?nt/, /??l?f?nt/

Noun

elephant (countable and uncountable, plural elephants)

1. A mammal of the order Proboscidea, having a trunk, and two large ivory tusks jutting from the upper jaw.
2. (in particular) Any member of the family Elephantidae not also of the genus Mammuthus.
3. (figuratively) Anything huge and ponderous.
4. (paper, printing) Synonym of elephant paper
5. (Britain, childish) used when counting to add length, so that each count takes about one second

   Let's play hide and seek. I'll count. One elephant, two elephant, three elephant...

6. (uncountable, obsolete) Ivory.

   • He sent rich gifts of elephant and gold.

Synonyms

• (animal): Elephas maximus, Loxodonta africana
• (counting term): see Appendix:Words used as placeholders to count seconds

Hyponyms

• (animal): African bush elephant, African forest elephant, Indian elephant, African elephant

Derived terms

Descendants

Related terms

Translations

Further reading

• elephant on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Elephant (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• heptenal

Middle French

Noun

elephant m (plural elephans)

1. elephant (animal)

Descendants

• French: éléphant
  • Haitian Creole: elefan
  • ? Romanian: elefant
• ? Irish: eilifint
• ? Norman: êléphant, éléphant