Meaning

noun (classical mythology) a serpent (or lizard or dragon) able to kill with its breath or glance

noun ancient brass cannon

noun small crested arboreal lizard able to run on its hind legs; of tropical America

originFrom Middle English basilicke, borrowed from Old French basilique, from Latin basiliscus, from Ancient Greek βασιλίσκος (basilískos, literally “minor king or chieftain”), from βασιλεύς (basileús, “king”), possibly based on descriptions or rare encounters with different types of cobra which have crown-like patterns on their head; the 'deadly gaze' may have been from the spitting cobra's ability to…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0