cockscomb

IPA/ˈkɒks.kəʊm/
IPA/ˈkɑːks.koʊm/

cockscomb — noun

  • cockscombsingular
  • cockscombsplural

1. the red, fleshy crest that grows on top of a rooster's head.

1.noun
Definition

the red, fleshy crest that grows on top of a rooster's head.

Example

The farmer checked the rooster's cockscomb for cuts after the fight.

collocation: the rooster's cockscomb

Cold weather turned the old rooster's cockscomb pale at sunrise.

Common collocations
  • the rooster's cockscomb
  • a bright red cockscomb
  • an injured cockscomb
Synonyms
  • comb

    the general word for this fleshy crest on a bird's head

  • crest

    broader and less specific, since many animals can have a crest

Grammar Patterns

a cockscomb

the rooster's cockscomb

Usage Note

Usually used when describing roosters or similar birds in farming or animal-care contexts. Distinguish from noun/2, which names a flower because its blooms look like this crest.

Common Mistakes

The hen's cockscomb was bright red.
The rooster's cockscomb was bright red.
this word is normally used for the crest of a male chicken.

2. a garden flower with thick, bright blooms shaped like a rooster's crest.

2.noun
Definition

a garden flower with thick, bright blooms shaped like a rooster's crest.

Example

Grandma planted cockscomb by the gate for a row of red spikes.

pattern: plant cockscomb

Yellow cockscomb filled the market stall beside the pots of basil.

Common collocations
  • plant cockscomb
  • red cockscomb
  • tall cockscomb
  • cockscomb seeds
Synonyms
  • celosia

    the botanical group name, broader than this specific crested flower form

  • flowering annual

    describes the plant type, but it is less specific than 'cockscomb'

Grammar Patterns

grow cockscomb

plant cockscomb

Usage Note

Usually used in gardening or flower-arranging contexts. Distinguish from noun/1, the red crest on a rooster's head that gave this plant its name.

Common Mistakes

We planted cockscomb seeds for more chicken combs.
We planted cockscomb seeds for more flowers.
this sense names a plant, not part of a bird.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For noun/1, 'cockscomb' is a specific word for the fleshy red part on top of a rooster's head. 'Comb' is the usual everyday term for the same part, so it is broader and much more common. 'Crest' is even wider, because it can describe hair, feathers, or a raised top on many animals and objects. 'Wattle' is different again: it names the loose skin that hangs below a bird's beak, not the upright red part above it. In a farm description, you might say 'The rooster's comb was bright red.' In a more exact animal note, 'cockscomb' highlights the same part with a more technical or literary tone.

cockscomb ↗comb ↗crest ↗wattle

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

This word joins 'cock', an older word for a rooster, with 'comb'. It first named the red crest on the bird's head because that part looks like a comb standing upright. Later, the same image was used for the flower whose folded blooms resemble a rooster's crest.