Definition

1. Noun:
   • The fleshy red crest on the head of a domestic fowl or other gallinaceous bird: A distinctive, often brightly colored, comb-like growth on the top of a rooster's head.
   • A cap worn by court jesters; adorned with a strip of red: A traditional fool's cap, often resembling a rooster's comb in shape and color.
   • A conceited dandy who is overly impressed by his own accomplishments: (Archaic) A person, especially a man, who is vain and ostentatious.
   • Garden annual with featherlike spikes of red or yellow flowers: A common name for the ornamental plant Celosia argentea var. cristata, known for its unique, crested flower heads.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Bird Anatomy):
  • The rooster's bright red cockscomb stood tall.
  • The breed is easily identified by its large, serrated cockscomb.
• Noun (Jester's Cap):
  • The jester's costume was completed with a bell-tipped cockscomb.
• Noun (Person - Archaic):
  • The 18th-century dandy was nothing but a preening cockscomb.
• Noun (Plant):
  • She planted vibrant red cockscombs in the garden border.

Advanced Usage

• "Coxcomb": This is a common historical variant spelling, especially when referring to the vain person or the jester's cap. The meanings are identical to "cockscomb".
  • He was derided as a foolish coxcomb in the satirical play.

Variants and Related Words

• Coxcomb: A variant spelling of "cockscomb".
• Celosia: The botanical genus name for the plant commonly called cockscomb.
• Comb: The general term for the fleshy crest on a bird's head; "cockscomb" is a specific type.

Synonyms

• For the bird's crest: Comb, caruncle.
• For the vain person: Dandy, fop, popinjay, peacock.
• For the plant: Woolflower, Celosia.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• None directly using "cockscomb": The term itself is quite specific. However, the archaic use for a vain person relates to idioms about vanity, such as "proud as a peacock".

Noun

1. the fleshy red crest on the head of the domestic fowl and other gallinaceous birds
2. a cap worn by court jesters; adorned with a strip of red
3. a conceited dandy who is overly impressed by his own accomplishments
4. garden annual with featherlike spikes of red or yellow flowers