Hi, Hans-Peter Jansen wrote: > Cool name, but what's Basilisk? >
Hopefully, having a look at the "Basilisk Lizard" is not as fatal as the basikisk of (1). Oxford English Dictionary says: basilisk [ad. L. basiliscus, a. Gr. <...> a kinglet, a kind of serpent, the golden-crested wren, dim. of <...> king: see -ISK. The Latin form was occas. used unchanged from 14th to 17th c.; Caxton, in 15th c., introduced forms after Fr. basilique, now basilic; and in 17th c., basilisco, -sko, after Sp., occur.] [<...> denotes some Greek characters] "1. A fabulous reptile, also called a cockatrice, alleged to be hatched by a serpent from a cock's egg; ancient authors stated that its hissing drove away all other serpents, and that its breath, and even its look, was fatal. [So called, says Pliny, from a spot, resembling a crown, on its head; mediæval authors furnished it with ‘a certain combe or coronet.’]" "3. transf. A large cannon, generally made of brass" "4. Zool. A small American lizard of the family Iguanidæ, having on the top of its head a hollow crest which can be inflated at will." Tobias --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
