coxcomb

Founding-era definition · Webster's 1828 American Dictionary

COXCOMB, noun [cocks comb.] 1. The top of the head. 2. The comb resembling that of a cock, which licensed fools wore formerly in their caps. 3. A fop; a vain showy fellow; a superficial pretender to knowledge or accomplishments. 4. A kind of red flower; a name given to a species of Celosia, and some other plants.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI

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