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bas·i·lisk

(băsə-lĭsk′, băz-)

1. A legendary serpent or dragon with lethal breath and glance.

2. Any of various tropical American lizards of the genus Basiliscus, having a crest on the head and back and fringes of skin around the toes of the hind feet that enable it to run upright across the surface of water for short distances.

[Middle English, from Old French basilisc, from Latin basiliscus, from Greek basiliskos, a kind of extremely venomous snake with a bright crownlike mark on its head, from diminutive of basileus, king.]

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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