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Definition of "cockscomb" [cocks•comb]

  • The comb of a rooster. (noun)
  • The cap of a jester, decorated to resemble the comb of a rooster. (noun)
  • An annual plant (Celosia cristata) widely cultivated for its showy, fan-shaped or plumelike clusters of red or yellow flowers. Also called celosia. (noun)
  • Obsolete Variant of coxcomb. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "cockscomb" in a sentence
  • "The cockscomb is the most widely known, but many white or double flowered varieties were already cultivated at that time."
  • "The English army then, to distinguish themselves, assumed a black rosette on their hats; which, from its position, the Scotch nick-named a "cock'ade" (with which our use of the word "cockscomb" is connected) and is still retained."
  • "(spine-tufts); and P.a. cristata is, as its name denotes a kind of cockscomb or crested form."