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cockscomb

cockscomb

8.9
A fleshy red crest on a rooster's head
  • noun
  • /ˈkɑksˌkoʊm/
translation icon : cresta
  • Farmers often check the health of their chickens by observing the size and color of their cockscomb.

Examples

  • Now the rooster is sporting a wattle of blood, a cockscomb of fire.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • (She, from images of peers in Time, kept his cockscomb of hair prototypical for their business in Los Angeles.)

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Some have ragged cockscombs, evidence of fighting.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • The rooster's cockscomb was bright red and stood tall on its head.

  • During the show, the judges admired the vibrant cockscomb of the competing poultry.

Synonyms

comb
vscockscomb
4 8.3

A red fleshy crest on a chicken's head

is the fuller or longer written form of the same meaning
coxcomb
vscockscomb
1 9.9

A red fleshy crest on the top of a rooster's head

is used for the crest on domestic fowl in general, not only males

Compounds

A garden plant with bright red or yellow feathery flower spikes

Surface Forms

cockscomb singular
cockscombs plural

Morphology

cockscomb = cock + comb (transparent) = cock + comb

Literal compound meaning 'cock's comb' (the crest of a rooster), directly describable from the two base words.

Etymology

Cockscomb comes from the parts cock 'rooster' and comb 'crest'. It names the red, fleshy crest on a rooster's head, so you can remember it as the 'rooster's comb'.