cockscomb

  

cocks·comb

[koks-kohm]
noun
1.
the comb or caruncle of a cock.
2.
the cap, resembling a cock's, comb, formerly worn by professional fools.
3.
a garden plant, Celosia cristata, of the amaranth family, with flowers, commonly crimson or purple, in a broad spike somewhat resembling the comb of a cock.
4.
any of several other species of the genus Celosia.
5.
an elongate prickleback, Anoplarchus purpurescens, living among submerged rocks along the Pacific coast of North America.
6.
a gaslight burner having four or more jets.
7.
coxcomb ( def 1 ).
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English; see cock, 's1, comb1

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Cockscomb is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
cockscomb or coxcomb (ˈkɒksˌkəʊm) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  the comb of a domestic cock
2.  an amaranthaceous garden or pot plant, Celosia cristata, with yellow, crimson, or purple feathery plumelike flowers in a broad spike resembling the comb of a cock
3.  any similar species of Celosia
4.  informal a conceited dandy
 
coxcomb or coxcomb
 
—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

cockscomb
c.1400, "comb or crest of a cock," from possessive of cock + comb. Meaning "cap worn by a professional fool" is from 1560s; hence "conceited fool" (1560s), a sense passing into the derivative coxcomb.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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