cockatrice

The story

1. Latin · derived fromcalcāre“to trample, to walk upon, to oppress”
2. Late Latin · derived fromcalcātrīx“female trampler, treader”
3. Old French · derived fromcocatriz“basilisk, cockatrice”
4. Middle English · inherited fromcocatrice
5. English todaycockatrice

From Middle English cocatrice, from Old French cocatriz (“basilisk, cockatrice”), from Late Latin calcātrīx (“female trampler, treader”), from Latin calcāre (“to trample, to walk upon, to oppress”) + -trīx (“-ess: forming feminine agentives”), from calx (“heel”). Its eventual association with poultry influenced by cock (“rooster, male chicken”), q.v.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• 14th c. Synonym of basilisk, a serpentine dragon so poisonous that even its gaze is deadly.
• 15th c. Synonym of crocodile.
• 16th c. An evil, deceitful, or destructive person.
• 16th c. Synonym of whore, a female prostitute, a sexually promiscuous woman.