Hypertext Webster Gateway: "basilisk"
From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary (easton)
Basilisk
(in R.V., Isa. 11:8; 14:29; 59:5; Jer. 8:17), the "king
serpent," as the name imports; a fabulous serpent said to be
three spans long, with a spot on its head like a crown. Probably
the yellow snake is intended. (See {COCKATRICE}.)
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Basilisk \Bas"i*lisk\, n. [L. basiliscus, Gr. ? little king,
kind of serpent, dim. of ? king; -- so named from some
prominences on the head resembling a crown.]
1. A fabulous serpent, or dragon. The ancients alleged that
its hissing would drive away all other serpents, and that
its breath, and even its look, was fatal. See
{Cockatrice}.
Make me not sighted like the basilisk. --Shak.
2. (Zo["o]l.) A lizard of the genus {Basiliscus}, belonging
to the family {Iguanid[ae]}.
Note: This genus is remarkable for a membranous bag rising
above the occiput, which can be filled with air at
pleasure; also for an elevated crest along the back,
that can be raised or depressed at will.
3. (Mil.) A large piece of ordnance, so called from its
supposed resemblance to the serpent of that name, or from
its size. [Obs.]
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
basilisk
n 1: (classical mythology) a serpent (or lizard or dragon) able
to kill with its breath or glance
2: ancient brass cannon
3: small crested arboreal lizard able to run on its hind legs;
of tropical America
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