basilisk

See also: Basilisk

English

A basilisk (mythical dragon)

A common basilisk (Basiliscus basiliscus)

A large English basilisk (cannon)

Alternative forms

• basilisc

Etymology

From Middle English basilicke, borrowed from Old French basilique, from Latin basiliscus, from Ancient Greek βασιλίσκος (basilískos) (literally "minor king or chieftain", possibly based on descriptions or rare encounters with different types of cobra which have crown-like patterns on their head; the "deadly gaze" could have been from the spitting cobra's ability to spit venom into the eyes of predators or prey from a distance), from βασιλεύς (basileús, “king”). The cognitohazard/infohazard sense is by analogy with the deadly gaze of the mythical creature.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbæs.ɪ.lɪsk/, /ˈbæz.ɪ.lɪsk/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

basilisk (plural basilisks)

1. (mythology) A mythical snake-like dragon, so venomous that even its gaze is deadly.

   the deadly look of the basilisk

   • 1608, Edward Topsell, “Of the Cockatrice”, in The Historie of Serpents. Or, The Second Booke of Liuing Creatures: […], London: […] William Jaggard, →OCLC, page 124:

     The queſtion is in vvhat part of this Serpent the poyſon doth lye; Some ſay in the head alone, and that therefore the Bazeliske is deafe, bycauſe the Ayre vvhich ſerueth the Organe of hearing, is reſolued by the intenſiue calidity: but this ſeemeth not to bee true, […]

   • 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:

     And without more ado she […] fixed her wonderful eyes upon me - more deadly than any Basilisk's - and pierced me through and through with their beauty, and sent her light laugh ringing through the air like chimes of silver bells.

   • 1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 249:

     As a revolutionary act of prophecy in an age of political science, Wissenkunst is a unique and anarchic expression of freedom, and not a new and aspiring system of indoctrination. If Wissenkunst is itself turned into political apologetics, then the fabulous plumed serpent is turned into a monster, a basilisk.

2. (science fiction) An infohazard or cognitohazard, especially a Langford's basilisk.
   • 2019 June 13, Tom Chivers, The AI Does Not Hate You‎^[1], Orion Publishing Group, →ISBN:

     A basilisk, in this context, is information that can hurt you simply because you are aware of it.

3. (heraldry) A type of dragon used in heraldry.
4. Any of the tree-dwelling of lizard of the genus Basiliscus: the basilisk lizard.
   • 1965 March, Boys' Life, page 52:

     As a guide to start your collection we'd suggest either iguanas, tejus, swifts, basilisks, horned toads or alligator lizards.

5. (weaponry) A type of large brass cannon.
   • c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire, London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act IIII, scene i:

     Awake ye men of Memphis, heare the clange / Of Scythian trumpets, heare the Baſiliſkes, / That roaring, ſhake Damaſcus turrets downe, […]

Derived terms

• basilisk lizard
• Langford's basilisk, Langford basilisk
• Roko's basilisk

 

Translations

snake-like dragon type

• Arabic: بَاسِلِيق m (bāsilīq), باسيليق m (bāsīlīq)
• Asturian: basiliscu m
• Bulgarian: базилиск m (bazilisk)
• Catalan: basilisc m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 巴西利斯克 (bāxīlìsīkè)

• Coptic:

  Bohairic: ⲃⲁⲥⲓⲗⲓⲥⲕⲟⲥ (basiliskos), ⲥⲓϯ m (siti)

  Sahidic: ⲥⲓⲧ m (sit)

• Czech: bazilišek (cs) m
• Dutch: basilisk (nl) m, koningshagedis
• Esperanto: bazilisko
• Finnish: basiliski (fi)
• French: basilic (fr) m
• Galician: basilisco m
• German: Basilisk (de) m
• Greek: βασιλίσκος (el) m (vasilískos), δράκων (el) m (drákon)

  Ancient: βασιλίσκος m (basilískos)

• Hungarian: baziliszkusz (hu)
• Irish: baisileasc m
• Italian: basilisco (it) m
• Japanese: バシリスク (ja) (bashirisuku)
• Korean: 바실리스크 (basilliseukeu)
• Latin: rēgulus m, basiliscus m
• Malay: basilisk
• Middle English: basilicke, basilicok, cocatrice
• Norwegian: basilisk m
• Persian: شاهمار (šâhmâr)
• Polish: bazyliszek (pl) m
• Portuguese: basilisco (pt) m
• Romanian: vasilisc (ro) m
• Russian: васили́ск (ru) m (vasilísk)
• Slovak: bazilišok m
• Slovene: bazilisk m anim
• Sorbian:

  Upper Sorbian: bazilisk m

• Spanish: basilisco (es) m
• Swedish: basilisk (sv) c
• Tagalog: basilisko
• Turkish: basilisk
• Welsh: basilisg m, brenhinsarff f

type of lizard (genus Basiliscus)

• Catalan: basilisc m
• Czech: bazilišek (cs) m
• Dutch: basilisk (nl), boomhagedis
• Esperanto: bazilisko
• Finnish: basiliski (fi)
• French: basilic (fr) m
• Galician: basilisco m
• Greek: βασιλίσκος (el) m (vasilískos)
• Italian: basilisco (it) m
• Polish: bazyliszek (pl) m
• Portuguese: basilisco (pt) m
• Russian: васили́ск (ru) m (vasilísk)
• Spanish: basilisco (es) m
• Swedish: basilisk (sv) c

type of large brass cannon

• Catalan: basilisc m
• French: basilic (fr) m
• Galician: basilisco m
• Italian: basilisco (it) m
• Portuguese: basilisco (pt) m
• Russian: васили́ск (ru) m (vasilísk)
• Spanish: basilisco (es) m

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Latin: ^{(please verify)} basiliscus
• Norwegian: ^{(please verify)} basilisk m
• Persian: ^{(please verify)} اژدهای بالدار (eždehâ-ye bâldâr) (1)
• Slovak: ^{(please verify)} bazilisk m

Adjective

basilisk (not comparable)

1. Suggesting a basilisk (snake-like dragon): baleful, spellbinding.
   • 1870, The British drama: illustrated, volume 4, page 997:

     Well, She is so basilisk; there's no death in her eyes […]

   • 1884, M. L. O'Byrne, Ill-won Peerages, Or, An Unhallowed Union, page 126:

     her gaze became more basilisk in its expression, and her countenance bore some similitude to that of a handsome fiend

   • 2004, Witi Tame Ihimaera, Whanau II, page 167:

     He had never seen her quite like this, so basilisk, so frightening

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch basilisc, from Latin basiliscus, from Ancient Greek βασιλίσκος (basilískos).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌbaː.siˈlɪsk/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ba‧si‧lisk
• Rhymes: -ɪsk

Noun

basilisk m (plural basilisken, diminutive basiliskje n)

1. a basilisk (mythological or heraldic monster, part serpent, part rooster)

   Synonyms: koningshagedis, koningsslang

2. a basilisk, a tree-dwelling lizard of the genus Basiliscus

   Synonym: boomhagedis

Related terms

• basilica
• basilicum
• basiliek

Middle English

Noun

basilisk

1. Alternative form of basilicke

Swedish

Noun

basilisk c

1. a basilisk (mythological creature)
2. a basilisk (basilisk lizard)

Declension

Declension of basilisk

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	basilisk	basilisks
	definite	basilisken	basiliskens
plural	indefinite	basilisker	basiliskers
	definite	basiliskerna	basiliskernas

See also

• basilusk

References

• basilisk in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• basilisk in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• basilisk in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)