Draco

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈdɹeɪkəʊ/

Definitions

1. A name referring to an ancient Athenian lawgiver known for harsh legal codes; a genus of lizards capable of gliding flight due to wing-like ribs; or historically, a star constellation in the northern sky related to the dragon myth
2. Identifying an early Athenian legislator famous for strict laws; denoting a type of flying reptile with extended ribs forming wings; or signifying a celestial pattern representing a dragon winding around the pole star
3. Referring to a historic figure who established severe statutes in Athens; describing a group of arboreal reptiles that use rib extensions to glide; or indicating a zodiacal serpent-like constellation visible in northern latitudes

Etymology: Draco was the name of the Athenian lawgiver whose code of around 621 BC punished nearly every offence with death, so harshly that later writers said his laws were written in blood. The name itself is Latin, from "draco", meaning "dragon" or "serpent", which came from Greek "drakōn". The Greek word is tied to a verb meaning "to see clearly", a sense that survives in the idea of a serpent's piercing gaze, though the link is one of ancient association rather than a settled shared root. The same word gave us the lizard genus Draco, whose members can glide between trees using wing-like extensions of their ribs. In the northern sky, the constellation Draco winds between the Great and Little Bears, and it was long pictured as the serpent killed by Hercules. Its star names and Latin label came down through medieval star catalogues.

Synonyms: dragon, serpent, wyrm, drake, wyvern