Cockatrice

Cockatrice, a fabulous monster, often confounded with the Basilisk (q.v.), and regarded as possessing similar deadly powers. To the charms of the basilisk it added a dragon's tail, armed with a sting; and it shared also its power of destroying by a glance, so often referred to in Shakespeare and other early writers. In medieval art the cockatrice is an emblem of sin generally, and the special attribute of St Vitus. The name occurs in the English authorised version of the Old Testament, where the original Hebrew word means evidently 'venomous serpent.' In Heraldry the cockatrice is represented as a winged monster having the head, body, and feet of a cock, the tongue barbed, and the tail of a dragon.