Basilisk 是一个名词,主要有两个含义:
/ˈbæzɪlɪsk/
源自拉丁语 basiliscus,再往前追溯至希腊语 basilískos(βασιλίσκος),意为"小国王",是 basileús(国王)的指小形式。之所以称为"小国王",是因为传说这种蛇头上有类似王冠的斑纹,被视为"蛇中之王"。这个词在中世纪欧洲神话中广泛使用,后来也被生物学家借用来命名一类热带蜥蜴。
The basilisk is a mythical creature that can kill with a single glance.
蛇怪是一种神话中的生物,仅凭一瞥就能致人死命。
In medieval bestiaries, the basilisk was often depicted as the king of serpents, born from a cock's egg hatched by a serpent, and said to wither plants and shatter stones with its venomous breath.
在中世纪的动物寓言集中,蛇怪常被描绘为蛇中之王,据说它由公鸡蛋经蛇孵化而生,能以毒息使草木枯萎、令石头碎裂。