What is "basilisk"

Basilisk \Bas"i*lisk\, n. [L. basiliscus, Gr. basili`skos little king, kind of serpent, dim. of basiley`s king; -- so named from some prominences on the head resembling a crown.]

1. A fabulous serpent, or dragon. The ancients alleged that its hissing would drive away all other serpents, and that its breath, and even its look, was fatal. See Cockatrice.

   Make me not sighted like the basilisk.
   --Shak.

2. (Zo["o]l.) A lizard of the genus Basiliscus, belonging to the family Iguanid[ae].

   Note: This genus is remarkable for a membranous bag rising above the occiput, which can be filled with air at pleasure; also for an elevated crest along the back, that can be raised or depressed at will.

3. (Mil.) A large piece of ordnance, so called from its supposed resemblance to the serpent of that name, or from its size. [Obs.]

c.1300, from Latin basiliscus, from Greek basiliskos "little king," diminutive of basileus "king" (see Basil); said by Pliny to have been so called because of a crest or spot on its head resembling a crown.The basilisk has since the fourteenth century been confused with the Cockatrice, and the subject is now a complicated one. [T.H. White, "The Bestiary. A Book of Beasts," 1954]Its breath and glance were said to be fatal. The South American lizard so called (1813) because it, like the mythical beast, has a crest. Also used of a type of large cannon, throwing shot of 200 lb., from 1540s.

a. Suggesting a basilisk (snake-like dragon): baleful, spellbinding. n. 1 A mythical (and heraldic) snake-like dragon type, reputed to be so venomous that its gaze was deadly. 2 (context heraldiccharge English) A type of dragon used in heraldry. 3 A tree-dwelling type of lizard of the genus (taxlink Basiliscus genus noshow=1). 4 A type of large brass cannon.

1. n. (classical mythology) a serpent (or lizard or dragon) able to kill with its breath or glance

2. ancient brass cannon

3. small crested arboreal lizard able to run on its hind legs; of tropical America

The Basilisk is the name of three fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

A basilisk is a legendary reptile reputed to be king of serpents.

Basilisk may also refer to: __NOTOC__

is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masaki Segawa. It was published in Japan in 2003 and 2004 in Kodansha's Young Magazine Uppers magazine, based on the novel The Kouga Ninja Scrolls by Futaro Yamada published in 1958. The anime, produced in 2005 by Gonzo Studios, closely follows the manga aside from a handful of distinctions. The manga won the 2004 Kodansha Manga Award for general manga. The manga was later followed by a sequel series titled The Yagyu Ninja Scrolls which was also based on a novel by Futaro Yamada.

The story takes place in the year 1614. Two ninja clans, Tsubagakure of the Iga and Manjidani of Kouga, battle each other to determine which grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu will become the next shogun. The deadly competition between 10 elite ninja from each clan unleashes a centuries-old hatred that threatens to destroy all hope for peace between them.

Basilisk is a 1982 album by The Legendary Pink Dots.

The basilisk was a very heavy bronze cannon employed during the Middle Ages. The barrel of a basilisk could weigh up to 4,000 lb (1,800 kg) and could have a calibre of up to 5 inches (13 cm). On average they were around 10 feet long, though some, like Queen Elizabeth's Pocket Pistol, were almost three times that length.

The basilisk got its name from the mythological basilisk: a fire-breathing venomous serpent that could cause large-scale destruction and kill its victims with its glance alone. It was thought that the very sight of its 160 lb shot would be enough to scare the enemy to death.

In 1588 the Spanish Armada was equipped with many basilisks for their invasion of England with the intent of using them to besiege towns loyal to Elizabeth I. Many of these guns were lost when the ships were wrecked on their return to Spain.

Due to its large size, the basilisk fell out of favour of European generals, who preferred lighter, more accurate artillery in the late 16th century. A late example is the Maltese Gun, built in Holland in 1607 and, like many of its contemporaries, fitted with a replacement carriage during the Napoleonic Wars.

Basilisk is the second album by Japanese rock band D'erlanger, released on March 7, 1990. It reached number 5 on the Oricon charts.

In European bestiaries and legends, a basilisk ( or , from the Greek βασιλίσκος basilískos, "little king;" Latin regulus) is a legendary reptile reputed to be king of serpents and said to have the power to cause death with a single glance. According to the Naturalis Historia of Pliny the Elder, the basilisk of Cyrene is a small snake, "being not more than twelve fingers in length", that is so venomous, it leaves a wide trail of deadly venom in its wake, and its gaze is likewise lethal; its weakness is in the odor of the weasel, which, according to Pliny, was thrown into the basilisk's hole, recognizable because all the surrounding shrubs and grass had been scorched by its presence. It is possible that the legend of the basilisk and its association with the weasel in Europe was inspired by accounts of certain species of Asiatic snakes (such as the king cobra) and their natural predator, the mongoose.

Many fantasy roleplaying games have included a version of the mythological basilisk among the creatures that the players may encounter. The creatures are frequently lizard-like with the ability to turn characters to stone.

Basilisks and variations of the monster have appeared in every edition of the Dungeons & Dragons franchise.

• Gygax, Gary, and Dave Arneson. Dungeons & Dragons (3-Volume Set) (TSR, 1974)
• Gygax, Gary and Blume, Brian ''Eldritch Wizardry '' (TSR 1976) Lake Geneva, WI
• Gygax, Gary. Monster Manual ( TSR, 1977)
• Gygax, Gary. The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth ( TSR, 1982
• Gygax, Gary. Monster Manual II ( TSR, 1983)
• Gygax, Gary, and Dave Arneson [1974], edited by J. Eric Holmes. Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (TSR, 1977)
• Gygax, Gary, and Dave Arneson [1974], edited by Dave Cook. Dungeons & Dragons Expert Set (TSR, 1981)
• Gygax, Gary, and Dave Arneson [1974], edited by Frank Mentzer. Dungeons & Dragons Set 2: Expert Rules (TSR, 1983)
• Mentzer, Frank. Dungeons & Dragons Set 3: Companion Rules (TSR, 1984)
• Cook, David, et al. Monstrous Compendium Volume Two ( TSR, 1989
• Allston, Aaron, Steven E. Schend, Jon Pickens, and Dori Watry. Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (TSR, 1991)
• Stewart, Doug, ed. Monstrous Manual (TSR, 1994)
• Mearls, Mike, Stephen Schubert, and James Wyatt. Monster Manual ( Wizards of the Coast, 2008)
• Cook, Monte, Jonathan Tweet, and Skip Williams. Monster Manual ( Wizards of the Coast, 2000) Within Dungeons & Dragons, the basilisk is depicted a giant lizard with eight legs, and as a reptilian monster whose gaze can turn creatures to stone. The basilisk received detailed coverage in Dragon #81 (January 1984), in "The Ecology of the Basilisk," by Ed Greenwood. A figurine of the basilisk was included in the D&D Miniatures: Giants of Legend set #13 which was released in 2004.

The basilisk has also appeared in d20 System games by Necromancer Games in their Tome of Horrors sourcebook and Paizo Publishing's Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary.

In the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets video game, the player, as Harry, encounters the basilisk in a climactic battle before the last cut scene of the game. During the battle, Harry fights with a sword rather than with the wand the character has used through the previous portions of the game. The basilisk is represented as spitting poison which hurts the character.

In the MMORPG EverQuest, the basilisks have a stone breath attack.

In its strategy guide for the computer game Heroes of Might and Magic III, GameSpot describes the basilisks the "saving grace" of the Fortress castle type, as they are a "surprisingly effective" unit for the mid-game being "good in speed, offense, defense, and hit points" with a petrification power and the ability to be upgraded to "Greater Basilisk".