0 an imaginary creature, part snake and part cock (= male chicken), that was said to be able to kill someone by looking at them: --
Her "mythological series" offers a menagerie of creatures taken from legends and lore, such as the gryphon, the cockatrice, and the makara.
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.
With its livid, dangling wattles and its ability to kill with a glance, the cockatrice was referred to in the Bible as typifying evil.