cock

noun, verb, intj — 33 senses

cock

noun

UK /kɒk/ · US /kɑk/

Etymology From Middle English cok, from Old English coc, cocc (“cock, male bird”), from Proto-West Germanic *kokk, from Proto-Germanic *kukkaz (“cock”), probably of onomatopoeic origin. Cognate with Middle Dutch cocke (“cock, male bird”) and Old Norse kokkr ("cock"; whence Danish kok (“cock”), dialectal Swedish kokk (“cock”)). Reinforced by Old French coc, from the same origin. The sense "penis" is attested since at least the 1610s, with the compound pillicock (“penis”) attested since 1325.

21 senses
  1. 1A rooster: a male gallinaceous bird, especially a male…
  2. 2A cock pigeon.
  3. 3A valve or tap for controlling flow in plumbing.
  4. 4The hammer of a firearm trigger mechanism.
  5. 5A penis.
  6. 6The circle at the end of the rink.
  7. 7The state of being cocked; an upward turn, tilt or angle.
  8. 8A stupid, obnoxious or contemptible person.
  9. 9Nonsense; rubbish; a fraud.
  10. 10An apocryphal story supposedly describing a public…
  11. 11A man; a fellow.
  12. 12A boastful tilt of one's head or hat.
  13. 13Shuttlecock.
  14. 14A vane in the shape of a cock; a weathercock.
  15. 15A chief person; a leader or master.
  16. 16A leading thing.
  17. 17The crow of a cock, especially the first crow in the…
  18. 18A male fish, especially a salmon or trout.
  19. 19The style or gnomon of a sundial.
  20. 20The indicator of a balance.
  21. 21The bridge piece that affords a bearing for the pivot of…

› A male bird, especially:

1

A rooster: a male gallinaceous bird, especially a male domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus).

  • A forlyued cok leiþ eiren in his laste elde... and ȝif any venemous worme sittiþ on broode þerevppon in þe canyculer dayes, þerof is igendrid... a cocatrice.a. 1398, John Trevisa, transl. Bartholomeus Anglicus as De Proprietatibus Rerum (MS BL Add. 27944), Vol. I, p. 628
2

A cock pigeon.

3

A valve or tap for controlling flow in plumbing.

  • The liquor is discharged from the cock S into liquor cans V […], from which it is transferred to the sugar in the moulds. W represents one of the traps or stairs which communicate with respective floors of the sugarhouse.1864, Robert Niccol, Essay on Sugar, and General Treatise on Sugar Refining:
4

The hammer of a firearm trigger mechanism.

5

Colloquial, Vulgar A penis.

  • She doesn't see his cock, but she doesn't want to, what's the point, right?1992, Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash, page 356:
  • My cock is much bigger than yours / My cock can walk right through the door / With a feeling so pure / It's got you screaming back for more2005, System of a Down, “Cigaro”:
6

Ball games, Curling, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports The circle at the end of the rink.

7

The state of being cocked; an upward turn, tilt or angle.

  • […] with a knowing cock of his eye to his next neighbour. Of this person little need be said.1823 December 23 (indicated as 1824), [Walter Scott], St Ronan’s Well. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., →OCLC, page 32:
  • […] in 1803; my eyes transmogrified […]; my nose had lost its pretty cock, and had grown elegantly hooked; and […]1843, James Anthony Froude, John Tulloch, Fraser's Magazine, page 694:
1 more example
  • One day, however, by her self-important gait, the side-way turn of her head, and the cock of her eye, as she pried into one and another nook of the garden, […]1851 April 9, Nathaniel Hawthorne, The House of the Seven Gables, a Romance, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, →OCLC:
8

Commonwealth, Ireland, UK, Derogatory, Slang A stupid, obnoxious or contemptible person.

9

Commonwealth, Ireland, UK, Derogatory, Slang Nonsense; rubbish; a fraud.

  • "You used to talk an awful lot of cock."1956, William Golding, Pincher Martin:
  • That Hitler's armies can't be beat is just a load of cock, / For Marshal Timoshenko's boys are pissing through von Bock […]2013, M. J. Trow, Swearing Like A Trooper: Rude Slang of World War Two:
10

UK, Obsolete, Slang An apocryphal story supposedly describing a public event, once sold by street hawkers.

  • The running patterer cares less than other street-sellers for bad weather, for if he "work" on a wet and gloomy evening, and if the work be "a cock," which is a fictitious statement or even a pretended fictitious statement, there is the less chance of any one detecting the ruse.1851, Henry Mayhew, London Labour and the London Poor:
  • CURIOSITIES OF STREET LITERATURE: COMPRISING "COCKS," OR "CATCHPENNIES," A Large and Curious Assortment of STREET DROLLERIES, SQUIBS, HISTORIES, COMIC STORIES IN PROSE AND VERSE, […]1886, Charles Hindley, The History of the Catnach Press, page xxiii:
1 more example
  • This title ['Death Hunter'] refers not only to his vending accounts of all the murders that become topics of public conversation, but to his being a 'murderer' on his own account, as in the sale of 'cocks' mentioned incidentally in this narrative. If the truth be saleable , a running patterer prefers selling the truth […]quoted in 2018, Stephen Carver, The 19th Century Underworld: Crime, Controversy & Corruption (page 138)
11

Commonwealth, Ireland, UK, Especially, Slang, As term of address A man; a fellow.

  • All right, cock?
  • Now, in coming down here, I journeyed part of the way with a jolly old cock, who shed a tear with me every time the coach stopped […]1848, Thomas Frost, Paul the Poacher, page 118:
1 more example
  • “’Ullo, cock,” it said, amiably enough. “So you’ve come to, ’ave yer? ’Ang on a bit, an’ I’ll get you a cup o’ char.”1951, John Wyndham, The Day of the Triffids, Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, published 1954, page 128:
12

A boastful tilt of one's head or hat.

13

Informal Shuttlecock.

14

A vane in the shape of a cock; a weathercock.

  • Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! Rage! blow! / You cataracts and hurricanoes, spout / Till you have drenched our steeples, drowned the cocks!c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:
15

Dated, Humorous, Often A chief person; a leader or master.

16

Obsolete A leading thing.

  • The contrarye [side of a die] to this... was called Venus, or Cous, and yt was cocke, the beste that might be cast.1542, Erasmus, translated by Nicholas Udall, Apophthegmata, page 164:
  • Tis sir Salomon's sword; cock of as many men as it hath been drawn against. Woe worth the man that comes in the way of so dead-doing a tool, […]1672 (original), 1776 (printed), Andrew Marvell, The Works of Andrew Marvell, page 154
2 more examples
  • Sir Andrew is the cock of the club, since he left us.1711 August 10 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison; Richard Steele et al.], “MONDAY, July 31, 1711”, in The Spectator, number 132; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume II, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC:
  • She is a widow, don, consider that; Has buried one was thought a Hercules, Two cubits taller, and a man that cut Three inches deeper in the say, than I; Consider that too : She may be cock o'twenty, nay, for aught know, she is immortal.1833, James Shirley, The Dramatic Works and Poems of James Shirley, page 232:
17

The crow of a cock, especially the first crow in the morning; cockcrow.

  • This is the foul fiend Flibbertigibbet: he begins at curfew, and walks till the first cock;c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iv]:
  • "I suppose, John," said Clara, as her brother entered the apartment," you are glad of a weaker cup this morning than those you were drinking last night - you were carousing till after the first cock."1823 December 23 (indicated as 1824), [Walter Scott], St Ronan’s Well. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., →OCLC, page 62:
1 more example
  • And here we are, half-way to Alcalá, between cocks and midnight.1842 (published 1856), Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Poems …, page 334
18

A male fish, especially a salmon or trout.

  • As spawning time approaches – autumn or very early winter in most rivers, though in some late-run streams salmon may spawn as late as January or February – the hen's colouration becomes first a matt-pewter and then a drab dark brown-grey. The cock fish, in contrast, begins to gain some brighter colours.2005, Roderick Sutterby, Malcolm Greenhalgh, “Life in the Nursery”, in Atlantic Salmon: An Illustrated Natural History, Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, →ISBN, page 21:
19

The style or gnomon of a sundial.

  • Sun-dials, when the shadow of the Cock by passing over the lines of the hours[…]show the stay of the time sliding by.1656, William Dugard, (Please provide the book title or journal name):
20

The indicator of a balance.

  • The cock, or pointer, which makes a right angle with the beam, will stand upright when the weighing is accurate.1833, John Holland, Treatise on the Manufactures in Metal:
21

The bridge piece that affords a bearing for the pivot of a balance in a clock or watch.

  • A round small Silver Watch[…]with a steel Chain[…]a brass Cock, an endless Screw(Can we date this quote?), “London Gazette”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name):
Synonyms
cockbird, rooster, penis
Derived terms
245 termsacock, a-cock-horse, ballcock, ball cock, Banbury story of a cock and a bull, Banbury story of a cock and bull, beat the cock, bibcock, billy-cock, black cock, blackcock, boycock, by cock, by cock and pie, Chad Thundercock, chaparral cock, clipcock, cockable, cock-a-doodle-do, cock-a-doodle-doo, cockaholic, cock-a-hoop, cockale, cock-a-leekie, cockaludicrous, cock and bull, cock and bull story, cock-and-bull story, cock and hen, cock-and-hen club, cock-and-pinch, cockbag, cock-bawd, cock-biting, cockbiting, cock block, cockblock, cockblocker, cockbrain, cockbrained, cockbreath, cockbulge, cock cage, cockchafer, cock-cheese, cock cheese, cock-crow, cockcrow, cockcrowing, cock-drunk, cock egg, cocker, cockerel, cocker spaniel, cock eye, cockeye, cock-eye, cockeyed, cock-eyed, cockface, cockfag, cock-feather, cock feather, cockfight, cockfighter, cock-fighting, cockfighting, cockflesh, cockfuck, cockfucker, cock gobbler, cockhead, cockhole, cock holster, cock-holster, cock-horse, cock in a frock, cock in the henhouse, cock juice, cock knocker, cock-knocker, cockless, cocklet, cocklick, cocklicker, cocklight, cocklike, cockling, cockloft, cockmaster, cockmatch, cockmeat, cockmonger, cockmonster, cockmunch, cockmuncher, cocknugget, cocknut, cockocracy, cock of the plains, cock-of-the-rock, cock of the roost, cock of the walk, cock-on, cock on, cock one's toes, cock-padle, cock pilot, cock-pit, cockpit, cock pump, cockpunch, cock ring, cock-robin, cock-robin shop, cock-rock, cock rock, cock rocker, cock rooster, cocksack, cock sack, cockscomb, cockscrow, cockserver, cocksfoot, cockshaft, cockshead, cockshit, cockshot, cockshut, cockshy, cocksicle, cockslap, cock slave, cocksleeve, cockslut, cocksman, cocksmith, cock smoker, cock snot, cock sock, cock-socket, cocksocket, cock socket, cock-sparrow, cockspur, cockstain, cock-stand, cockster, cockstride, cocksuck, cocksucker, cock sucker, cock-sucker, cocksucking, cocksure, cock-sure, cocktease, cock-tease, cock tease, cock teaser, cockteaser, cock-teaser, cock throwing, cocktip, cock-up, cock up, cockwad, cock watch, cockweed, cockwhore, cockwipe, cock womble, cockworm, cocky, cold-cock, cold cock, donkeycock, donkey cock, drain cock, draincock, festy cock, fighting cock, firecock, fitless cock, four-way cock, gamecock, gauge cock, girlcock, gock, Guianan cock-of-the-rock, halfcock, half-cock, haycock, heath cock, heather cock, horse cock, horsecock, jungle cock, live like a fighting cock, monstercock, monster cock, monster-cock, moorcock, nestle-cock, niddicock, peacock, petcock, pinchcock, release cock, ride the cock carousel, rock out with one's cock out, roostcock, sage cock, sand cock, seacock, sea cock, sillcock, snowcock, snow-cock, softcock, stopcock, stop cock, stormcock, stunt cock, suck cock, suck donkey cock, suck my cock, suck someone's cock, supercock, talk cock, that cock won't fight, Three Cocks, throstlecock, tripcock, try cock, turkey cock, turkeycock, turkey-cock, turncock, uncockable, watercock, weather cock, weathercock, woodcock
Related terms
cockerel
Hyponyms
bibb, bibcock, seacock, sillcock, stopcock

cock

verb

Etymology From Middle English cok, from Old English coc, cocc (“cock, male bird”), from Proto-West Germanic *kokk, from Proto-Germanic *kukkaz (“cock”), probably of onomatopoeic origin. Cognate with Middle Dutch cocke (“cock, male bird”) and Old Norse kokkr ("cock"; whence Danish kok (“cock”), dialectal Swedish kokk (“cock”)). Reinforced by Old French coc, from the same origin. The sense "penis" is attested since at least the 1610s, with the compound pillicock (“penis”) attested since 1325.

8 senses
  1. 1To lift the cock of a firearm or crossbow; to prepare (a…
  2. 2To be prepared to be triggered by having the cock lifted.
  3. 3To erect; to turn up.
  4. 4To copulate with; (by extension, as with fuck) to mess…
  5. 5To turn or twist something upwards or to one side; to…
  6. 6To turn (the eye) obliquely and partially close its lid…
  7. 7To strut; to swagger; to look big, pert, or menacing.
  8. 8To make a nestle-cock of, to pamper or spoil (a child).
1

Ambitransitive To lift the cock of a firearm or crossbow; to prepare (a gun or crossbow) to be fired.

  • Cocked, fired, and missed his man.1812, Lord Byron, The Waltz:
2

To be prepared to be triggered by having the cock lifted.

  • In the darkness, the gun cocked loudly.
3

To erect; to turn up.

  • Our Lightfoot barks, and cocks his ears.1720, John Gay, Thursday: Or, The Spell:
  • Dick would cock his nose in scorn.1728, Jonathan Swift, A Dialogue Between Mad Mullinix and Timothy:
4

Ireland, UK, Slang To copulate with; (by extension, as with fuck) to mess up, to damage, to destroy.

  • Foster's Lager TV commercial, 1980s "Please tell me the way to Cockfosters." ... "Drink it warm, mate."
5

To turn or twist something upwards or to one side; to lift or tilt (e.g. headwear) boastfully.

  • He cocked his hat jauntily.
6

Dated To turn (the eye) obliquely and partially close its lid, as an expression of derision or insinuation.

  • The Sentry, to this question, said nothing in reply; / But first he cocked his rifle, and then he cocked his eye.1873, Mark Lemon, Henry Mayhew, Tom Taylor, Punch, volumes 64-65, page 36:
7

Dated To strut; to swagger; to look big, pert, or menacing.

8

Obsolete To make a nestle-cock of, to pamper or spoil (a child).

Derived terms
cock a deaf 'un, cock a snook, cock it over, cock off, cock one's ear, decock, recock, uncock

cock

intj

Etymology From Middle English cok, from Old English coc, cocc (“cock, male bird”), from Proto-West Germanic *kokk, from Proto-Germanic *kukkaz (“cock”), probably of onomatopoeic origin. Cognate with Middle Dutch cocke (“cock, male bird”) and Old Norse kokkr ("cock"; whence Danish kok (“cock”), dialectal Swedish kokk (“cock”)). Reinforced by Old French coc, from the same origin. The sense "penis" is attested since at least the 1610s, with the compound pillicock (“penis”) attested since 1325.

1

Ireland, UK, Slang Expression of annoyance.

Related terms
cock and bull story

cock

noun

Etymology From Middle English cokke, cock, cok, from Old English *cocc (“heap, pile”, attested in place names), from Proto-West Germanic *kokk, from Proto-Germanic *kukkaz (“mass, bulge, swelling”), from Proto-Indo-European *gew- (“to bend, curve, arch”). Cognate with dialectal German Kocke (“heap of hay, dunghill”), Norwegian kok (“heap, lump”), Swedish koka (“a lump of earth”), Norman coque (“small haystack”), Middle Low German kogge (“wide, rounded ship”), Dutch kogel (“ball”), German Kugel (“ball, globe”).

1

A small conical pile of hay or grass.

  • Near-synonyms: rick, stook, shock
  • The farmhands stack the hay into cocks.
Derived terms
coggle, grass-cock, haycock

cock

verb

Etymology From Middle English cokke, cock, cok, from Old English *cocc (“heap, pile”, attested in place names), from Proto-West Germanic *kokk, from Proto-Germanic *kukkaz (“mass, bulge, swelling”), from Proto-Indo-European *gew- (“to bend, curve, arch”). Cognate with dialectal German Kocke (“heap of hay, dunghill”), Norwegian kok (“heap, lump”), Swedish koka (“a lump of earth”), Norman coque (“small haystack”), Middle Low German kogge (“wide, rounded ship”), Dutch kogel (“ball”), German Kugel (“ball, globe”).

1

To form into piles.

  • Under the cocked hay.1579, Edmund Spenser, The Shepheardes Calender:

cock

noun

Etymology Uncertain. Some authors speculate it derives from cockle, a yonic fertility symbol, others suggested it entered Southern US vernacular during the period of French rule (of Louisiana) from Cajun French coquille (“shell”) (itself the source of cockle), which in 18th and 19th century slang meant the vulva.

1

Southern US Vulva, vagina.

Where it is now rare and dated; and African-American Vernacular; where it is still sometimes used; where it is now rare and dated; and African-American Vernacular; where it is still sometimes used

  • Born in the canebrake and you were suckled by a bear, Jumped right through your mammy's cock and never touched a hair.c. 1920-1960, Rufus George Perryman (Speckled Red), quoted by Elijah Wald, The Dozens: A History of Rap's Mama
  • My back is made of whalebone And my cock is made of brass1935 March 5, “Shave 'Em Dry, No. 2”, in Raunchy Business: Hot Nuts & Lollypops, performed by Lucille Bogan, published 1991, track 6:
3 more examples
  • The dog come a-trottin' and the dog come a-lopin' A purty little gal with her cock wide open.1992, Vance Randolph, edited by Gershon Legman, Unprintable Ozark Folksongs and Folklore: Roll me in your arms, volume 1, Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, page 411:
  • I stuck my fist up in her cock, she didn't budge or move it.1998 February 17, Scarface, Too Short, Tela, Devin the Dude, “Fuck Faces”, in My Homies, track 8:
  • She smelled like she was on her period and hadn't changed pads. On ah many occasions I heard men say her cock smelled through her clothing.2010, Vildred C. Tucker-Dawson, A Journey Back in Time: My Story Book, →ISBN, page 42:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.

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