Word of the Day

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

coxcomb

\KOKS-kohm\ , noun;

obsolete. A cap worn by court jesters; adorned with a strip of red. (Now cockscomb).

archaic. The top of the head, or the head itself.

Obsolete. A fool.

A vain, showy fellow; a conceited, silly man, fond of display; a superficial pretender to knowledge or accomplishments; a dandy; a fop.

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Quotes:

A resemblance between the sacrificial garments of ancient ritual and the costume of a household jester in the Middle Ages--coxcomb, eared hood, bells, and bauble, with a motley coat--has been noted.

-- "Fool", Encyclopedia Britannica

If thou follow him, thou must needs wear my coxcomb.

-- William Shakespeare, King Lear

Fond to be seen, she kept a bevy
Of powdered coxcombs at her levee.

-- Oliver Goldsmith,

Origin:

Coxcomb is a corrupted spelling of cock's comb, the comb of a rooster, hence the badge resembling it that was worn in the cap of a professional fool or jester, hence the wearer of the cap, hence a fool or a vain and silly man.