basilisk
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basilisk:
see iguanaiguana, name for several large lizards of the family Iguanidae, found in tropical America and the Galapagos. The common iguana (Iguana iguana) is a tree-living, strictly vegetarian species found along streams from Mexico to N South America.
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basilisk
monstrous reptile; has fatal breath and glance. [Gk. Folklore: Jobes, 184]
See: Deadliness
basilisk
lizard supposed to kill with its gaze. [Gk. Myth.: Brewer Handbook, 93]
See: Monsters
Allusions—Cultural, Literary, Biblical, and Historical: A Thematic Dictionary. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
basilisk
1. (in classical legend) a serpent that could kill by its breath or glance
2. any small arboreal semiaquatic lizard of the genus Basiliscus of tropical America: family Iguanidae (iguanas). The males have an inflatable head crest, used in display
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005