Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Coxcomb
Cox′combˊ
(k?ks′k?mˊ)
, Noun.
[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.
2.
The top of the head, or the head itself
.We will belabor you a little better,
And beat a little more care into your
And beat a little more care into your
coxcombs
. Beau & Fl.
3.
A vain, showy fellow; a conceited, silly man, fond of display; a superficial pretender to knowledge or accomplishments; a fop.
Fond to be seen, she kept a bevy
Of powdered
Of powdered
coxcombs
at her levee. Goldsmith.
Some are bewildered in the maze of schools,
And some made
And some made
coxcombs
, nature meant but fools. Pope.
4.
(Bot.)
A name given to several plants of different genera, but particularly to
Celosia cristata
, or garden cockscomb. Same as Cockscomb
. Webster 1828 Edition
Coxcomb
COXCOMB
,Noun.
1.
The top of the head.2.
The comb resembling that of a cock, which licensed fools wore formerly in their caps.3.
A fop; a vain showy fellow; a superficial pretender to knowledge or accomplishments.4.
A kind of red flower; a name given to a species of Celosia, and some other plants.Definition 2024
coxcomb
coxcomb
English
Noun
coxcomb (plural coxcombs)
- (obsolete) The cap of a court jester, adorned with a red stripe.
- A foolish or conceited person; a dandy.
- 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, Book VII, chapter xiii
- […] for though I am afraid the doctor was a little of a coxcomb, he might be nevertheless very much of a surgeon.
- 2010, Pseudonymous Bosch, This Isn't What It Looks Like
- And she nearly started a fight between two young fops in plumed hats and flouncy collars: "Clay-brained coxcomb!" "Mewling milk-livered maggot!"
- 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, Book VII, chapter xiii
- The fleshy red pate of a rooster.
Translations
court jester's cap
|
foolish or conceited person
pate of a rooster
Quotations
- For usage examples of this term, see Citations:coxcomb.