1. a legendary creature with the head and wings of a rooster and the tail of a serpent or dragon
Usage: mythology; heraldry
2. a treacherous or evil person
Usage: archaic; literary

Examples

• The medieval tapestry depicted a fierce cockatrice guarding a treasure.
• In heraldry, the cockatrice symbolizes terror to enemies.
• The fantasy novel featured a cockatrice as the primary antagonist.
• Ancient bestiaries described the cockatrice as hatched from a serpent’s egg by a rooster.
• The coat of arms displayed a golden cockatrice on a red field.
• Shakespeare used ‘cockatrice’ to describe a particularly treacherous character.