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cock¹

(kŏk)

a. An adult male chicken; a rooster.

b. An adult male of various other birds.

2. A weathervane shaped like a rooster; a weathercock.

3. A faucet or valve by which the flow of a liquid or gas can be regulated.

a. The hammer of a firearm.

b. The position of the hammer of a firearm when ready for firing.

5. A tilting or jaunty turn upward: the cock of a hat.

6. Vulgar Slang

a. The penis.

b. A man or boy regarded as mean or contemptible.

7. Archaic The characteristic cry of a rooster early in the morning.

tr.v. cocked, cock·ing, cocks

1. To set the hammer of (a firearm) in a position ready for firing.

2. To set (a device, such as a camera shutter) in a position ready for use.

3. To tilt or turn up or to one side, usually in a jaunty or alert manner: cocked an eyebrow in response to a silly question.

4. To raise in preparation to throw or hit: cocked the bat before swinging at the pitch.

Idiom:

cock of the walk

An overbearing or domineering person.

[Middle English cok, from Old English cocc, probably from Late Latin coccus, from coco, a cackling, of imitative origin.]

cock²

(kŏk)

A cone-shaped pile of straw or hay.

tr.v. cocked, cock·ing, cocks

To arrange (straw or hay) into piles shaped like cones.

[Middle English cok.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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