Coxcomb

Coxcomb
Coxcomb Cox"comb` (k?ks"k?m`), n. [A corrupted spelling of cock's comb.] 1. (a) A strip of red cloth notched like the comb of a cock, which licensed jesters formerly wore in their caps. (b) The cap itself. [1913 Webster]

2. The top of the head, or the head itself. [1913 Webster]

We will belabor you a little better, And beat a little more care into your coxcombs. --Beau & Fl. [1913 Webster]

3. A vain, showy fellow; a conceited, silly man, fond of display; a superficial pretender to knowledge or accomplishments; a fop. [1913 Webster]

Fond to be seen, she kept a bevy Of powdered coxcombs at her levee. --Goldsmith. [1913 Webster]

Some are bewildered in the maze of schools, And some made coxcombs, nature meant but fools. --Pope. [1913 Webster]

4. (Bot.) A name given to several plants of different genera, but particularly to {Celosia cristata}, or garden cockscomb. Same as {Cockscomb}. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Coxcomb — may refer to: Coxcomb diagram attributed to Florence Nightingale. Coxcomb (ornithology), a fleshy growth on the top of the head of many gallinaceous birds Coxcomb (plant), a small genus of edible and ornamental plants Coxcomb Mountains, mountain… …   Wikipedia

  • Coxcomb — (cock s comb, engl., spr. kócks kōm), Narr, Geck; s. Huhn (am Schluß) …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • coxcomb — (n.) 1570s, from cokkes comb (1560s, see COCKSCOMB (Cf. cockscomb)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • coxcomb — *fop, dandy, beau, exquisite, dude, buck …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • coxcomb — ► NOUN archaic ▪ a vain and conceited man; a dandy …   English terms dictionary

  • coxcomb — [käks′kōm΄] n. [for cock s comb] 1. a cap topped with a notched strip of red cloth like a cock s comb, formerly worn by jesters 2. a silly, vain, foppish fellow; dandy coxcombical [käks käm′i kəl, käkskōm′i kəl] adj …   English World dictionary

  • coxcomb — UK [ˈkɒksˌkəʊm] / US [ˈkɑksˌkoʊm] noun [countable] Word forms coxcomb : singular coxcomb plural coxcombs an old word meaning a man who is too interested in his clothes and appearance …   English dictionary

  • coxcomb —    In the sixteenth century this was a reference to the hat worn by a professional fool. It was like a cock’s comb in shape and colour. The word quickly came to refer to the fool himself, then took on the special meaning of a person whose… …   A dictionary of epithets and terms of address

  • coxcomb — noun a) A foolish or conceited person; a dandy. for though I am afraid the doctor was a little of a coxcomb, he might be nevertheless very much of a surgeon. b) The fleshy red pate of a rooster …   Wiktionary

  • Coxcomb Prominent — Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum …   Wikipedia

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