cockerel

noun

cock·​er·​el ˈkä-k(ə-)rəl How to pronounce cockerel (audio)
: a young male of the domestic chicken (Gallus gallus)

Examples of cockerel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Walton tells me of a favorite feast of 16th century English monarch Henry VIII starring a horrible, mythical creature called a cockentrice—the front half of a baby pig sewn to the legs of a cockerel and roasted—all the more terrifying for guests who at the time believed dragons were real. Maggie Hennessy, Bon Appétit, 16 May 2022 The cockerel, donated to the university in 1905 by the father of a student, is a Benin Bronze, looted during the 1897 British invasion of Benin city, in modern Nigeria, during which British forces burnt down the royal palace among other buildings and stole priceless artifacts. Luke McGee, CNN, 31 Oct. 2021 Each bird looks like it has been sown together from two different chickens down the midline; one half is clearly a cockerel and the other is clearly a hen. Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 11 Sep. 2010 The cockerel was one of up to 10,000 artifacts stolen by British troops from the royal palace in the Kingdom of Benin (in present-day Nigeria) in 1897. Hannah McGivern, CNN, 13 Oct. 2022 When a cockerel apparently flies into a chicken farm, the chickens see him as an opportunity to escape their evil owners. Jacob Siegal, BGR, 30 Oct. 2022 Their mascot is a cockerel (a young rooster), stemming from a bronze statue built in the early 1990s because Harry Hotspur was fond of cockfighting. Jr Radcliffe, Journal Sentinel, 5 Oct. 2022 Where does the Tottenham name come from, and why is their mascot a cockerel? Jr Radcliffe, Journal Sentinel, 5 Oct. 2022 On Wednesday, a college at the University of Cambridge staged a ceremony acknowledging the official return of a bronze statue of a cockerel to Nigeria's National Commission for Museums and Monuments. Luke McGee, CNN, 31 Oct. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cockerel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English cokerelle, from Anglo-French cokerel, diminutive of coc

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cockerel was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near cockerel

Cite this Entry

“Cockerel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cockerel. Accessed 7 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

cockerel

noun
cock·​er·​el ˈkäk-(ə-)rəl How to pronounce cockerel (audio)
: a young male domestic chicken
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