basilisk Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun (classical mythology) a serpent (or lizard or dragon) able to kill with its breath or glance
  2. noun ancient brass cannon
  3. noun small crested arboreal lizard able to run on its hind legs; of tropical America

WordNet

Bas"i*lisk noun
Etymology
L. basiliscus, Gr. little king, kind of serpent, dim. of king; -- so named from some prominences on the head resembling a crown.
Definitions
  1. A fabulous serpent, or dragon. The ancients alleged that its hissing would drive away all other serpents, and that its breath, and even its look, was fatal. See Cockatrice.
    Make me not sighted like the basilisk. Shak.
  2. (Zoöl.) A lizard of the genus Basiliscus, belonging to the family Iguanidæ. ✍ This genus is remarkable for a membranous bag rising above the occiput, which can be filled with air at pleasure; also for an elevated crest along the back, that can be raised or depressed at will.
  3. (Mil.) A large piece of ordnance, so called from its supposed resemblance to the serpent of that name, or from its size. Obs.

Webster 1913