Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
Cockscomb \Cocks"comb`\ (k[o^]ks"k[=o]m`), n. [1st cock, n. +
comb crest.]
1. See {Coxcomb}.
2. (Bot.) A plant ({Celosia cristata}), of many varieties,
cultivated for its broad, fantastic spikes of brilliant
flowers; -- sometimes called {garden cockscomb}. Also the
{Pedicularis}, or lousewort, the {Rhinanthus
Crista-galli}, and the {Onobrychis Crista-galli}.
Coxcomb \Cox"comb`\ (k?ks"k?m`), n. [A corrupted spelling of
cock's comb.]
1.
(a) A strip of red cloth notched like the comb of a cock,
which licensed jesters formerly wore in their caps.
(b) The cap itself.
2. The top of the head, or the head itself.
We will belabor you a little better, And beat a
little more care into your coxcombs. --Beau & Fl.
3. A vain, showy fellow; a conceited, silly man, fond of
display; a superficial pretender to knowledge or
accomplishments; a fop.
Fond to be seen, she kept a bevy Of powdered
coxcombs at her levee. --Goldsmith.
Some are bewildered in the maze of schools, And some
made coxcombs, nature meant but fools. --Pope.
4. (Bot.) A name given to several plants of different genera,
but particularly to {Celosia cristata}, or garden
cockscomb. Same as {Cockscomb}.
Source : WordNet®
Celosia cristata
n : garden annual with featherlike spikes of red or yellow
flowers [syn: {cockscomb}, {common cockscomb}, {Celosia
argentea cristata}]