basilisk
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basilisk
- /ˈbæzɪlɪsk/
- /ˈbæsɪlɪsk/
Where it comes from
From Middle English basilicke, borrowed from Old French basilique, from Latin basiliscus, from Ancient Greek βασιλίσκος (basilískos, literally “minor king or chieftain”), from βασιλεύς (basileús, “king”), possibly based on descriptions or rare encounters with different types of cobra which have crown-like patterns on their head; the 'deadly gaze' may have been from the spitting cobra's ability to spit venom into the eyes of predators or prey from a distance. The infohazard sense is a figurative reference to the deadly gaze of the mythical creature. Displaced native Old English fāgwyrm.
noun basilisks · basilisc
-
A mythical snake-like dragon, so venomous that even its gaze is deadly.
the deadly look of the basilisk
Similar: cockatrice
- A type of dragon used in heraldry.
- Any tree-dwelling lizard of the genus Basiliscus: the basilisk lizard. As a guide to start your collection we'd suggest either iguanas, tejus, swifts, basilisks, horned toads or alligator lizards.
- A type of large brass cannon. Awake ye men of Memphis, heare the clange / Of Scythian trumpets, heare the Baſiliſkes, / That roaring, ſhake Damaſcus turrets downe, […]
- An infohazard or cognitohazard, especially a Langford's basilisk. A basilisk, in this context, is information that can hurt you simply because you are aware of it.
adjective basilisc
- Suggesting a basilisk (snake-like dragon): baleful, spellbinding. Well, She is so basilisk; there's no death in her eyes […]
Translations
Every language
noun snake-like dragon type
| Español | basilisco |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 바실리스크 basilliseukeu |
| 日本語 | バシリスク bashirisuku |
| 中文 | 巴西利斯克 bāxīlìsīkè, 蛇尾雞 /蛇尾鸡 shéwěijī, 蛇怪 shéguài |
| Português | basilisco |
| Français | basilic |
| Deutsch | Basilisk |
| Italiano | basilisco |
| Ελληνικά | βασιλίσκος vasilískos, δράκων drákon |
| Română | vasilisc |
| Русский | васили́ск vasilísk |
| العربية | بَاسِلِيق bāsilīq, باسيليق bāsīlīq |
noun type of lizard (genus Basiliscus)
| Español | basilisco |
|---|---|
| Português | basilisco |
| Français | basilic |
| Italiano | basilisco |
| Ελληνικά | βασιλίσκος vasilískos |
| Русский | васили́ск vasilísk |
| العربية | بَازِيلِيسْق bāzīlīsq |
Talk about this word "basilisk." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/basilisk. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. basilisk. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/basilisk "basilisk." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/basilisk.Cite this
@misc{basilisk_2026,
title = {basilisk},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/basilisk},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
