0 an imaginary creature, part snake and part cock (= male chicken), that was said to be able to kill someone by looking at them:
With its livid, dangling wattles and its ability to kill with a glance, the cockatrice was referred to in the Bible as typifying evil.
According to legend, England was once infested with cockatrices, until a knight dressed himself with mirrors and walked the countryside, causing the cockatrices to be destroyed by the reflections from their own eyes.
Her "mythological series" offers a menagerie of creatures taken from legends and lore, such as the gryphon, the cockatrice, and the makara.
