Category:Coxcomb

Cox"comb` (kks"km`), n. Etym: [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.)

Defn: A name given to several plants of different genera, but particularly to Celosia cristata, or garden cockscomb. Same as Cockscomb.