coxcomb Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun a conceited dandy who is overly impressed by his own accomplishments
cockscomb.
noun a cap worn by court jesters; adorned with a strip of red
cockscomb.
noun the fleshy red crest on the head of the domestic fowl and other gallinaceous birds
cockscomb; comb.

A corrupted spelling of cock's comb.

(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.
The top of the head, or the head itself.
We will belabor you a little better, And beat a little more care into your coxcombs. Beau & Fl.
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 coxcombs at her levee. Goldsmith.

Some are bewildered in the maze of schools, And some made coxcombs, nature meant but fools. Pope.
(Bot.) A name given to several plants of different genera, but particularly to Celosia cristata, or garden cockscomb. Same as Cockscomb.