Adjacent Words

Coxcomb definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

COXCOMB, n. [cocks comb.]
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.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a conceited dandy who is overly impressed by his own accomplishments [syn: coxcomb, cockscomb]
2: a cap worn by court jesters; adorned with a strip of red [syn: cockscomb, coxcomb]
3: the fleshy red crest on the head of the domestic fowl and other gallinaceous birds [syn: comb, cockscomb, coxcomb]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English cokkes comb, literally, cock's comb Date: 1573 1. a. a jester's cap adorned with a strip of red b. archaic pate, head 2. a. obsolete fool b. a conceited foolish person ; fop • coxcombical adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. an ostentatiously conceited man; a dandy. Derivatives: coxcombry n. (pl. -ies). Etymology: = cock's comb (see COCK(1)), orig. (a cap worn by) a jester

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

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. 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 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 coxcombs at her levee. --Goldsmith. Some are bewildered in the maze of schools, 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.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Beau, fop, dandy, popinjay, exquisite, jackanapes, petit-maître, man of dress; vain, showy fellow.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

Anciently, a fool. Fools, in great families, wore a cap with bells, on the top of which was a piece of red cloth, in the shape of a cock's comb. At present, coxcomb signifies a fop, or vain self-conceited fellow.

Moby Thesaurus

Beau Brummel, beau, bladder, blade, blood, boulevardier, buck, cap and bells, clotheshorse, dandy, dude, exquisite, fashion plate, fine gentleman, fop, fribble, gallant, jack-a-dandy, jackanapes, lady-killer, lounge lizard, macaroni, man-about-town, masher, motley, puppy, slapstick, sock, spark, sport, swell