dragon

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See also: Dragon, dragón, and drag on

English[edit]

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Pronunciation[edit]

WOTD – 14 May 2007

Etymology 1[edit]

From Middle English dragoun, borrowed from Old French dragon, from Latin dracō, dracōnem, from Ancient Greek δράκων (drákōn, “a serpent of huge size, a python, a dragon”), probably from δέρκομαι (dérkomai, “I see clearly”).

Displaced native Old English draca a doublet of dragon, so too are Draco and dragoon.

A European dragon. (Some notable countries are England, France, and Germany)
An East Asian dragon. (Som notable countries are China, Mongolia, and Japan)

Noun[edit]

dragon (plural dragons)

  1. A legendary serpentine or reptilian creature.
    1. In European mythologies, a gigantic beast, typically reptilian with leathery bat-like wings, lion-like claws, scaly skin and a serpent-like body, often a monster with fiery breath.
      • c. 1900, Edith Nesbit, The Last of the Dragons:
        But as every well-brought-up prince was expected to kill a dragon, and rescue a princess, the dragons grew fewer and fewer till it was often quite hard for a princess to find a dragon to be rescued from.
    2. In Eastern Asian mythologies, a large, snake-like monster with the eyes of a hare, the horns of a stag and the claws of a tiger, usually beneficent.
      • 1913, Sax Rohmer, chapter XIII, in The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu:
        These tapestries were magnificently figured with golden dragons; and as the serpentine bodies gleamed and shimmered in the increasing radiance, each dragon, I thought, intertwined its glittering coils more closely with those of another.
  2. An animal of various species that resemble a dragon in appearance:
    1. (obsolete) A very large snake; a python.
    2. Any of various agamid lizards of the genera Draco, Physignathus or Pogona.
    3. A Komodo dragon.
  3. (astronomy, with definite article, often capitalized) The constellation Draco.
  4. (derogatory) A fierce and unpleasant woman; a harridan.
    She’s a bit of a dragon.
  5. (with definite article, often capitalized) The (historical) Chinese empire or the People's Republic of China.
    Napoleon already warned of the awakening of the Dragon.
  6. (figuratively) Something very formidable or dangerous.
  7. A type of playing-tile (red dragon, green dragon, white dragon) in the game of mahjong.
  8. A luminous exhalation from marshy ground, seeming to move through the air like a winged serpent.
  9. (military, historical) A short musket hooked to a swivel attached to a soldier's belt; so called from a representation of a dragon's head at the muzzle.
    • 1886, Charles Gould, Mythical Monsters:
      our dragoons were so denominated because they were armed with dragons, that is, with short muskets, which spouted fire like dragons, and had the head of a dragon wrought upon their muzzle
  10. (computing, rare) A background process similar to a daemon.
    • 1995, Harley Hahn, The UNIX Companion, page 420:
      Daemons and Dragons. The print spooler is an example of a DAEMON, a program that executes in the background and provides a service […] Strictly speaking, a dragon is a daemon that is not invoked explicitly but is always there, waiting in the background […]
    • 2018, J. K. Petersen, Fiber Optics Illustrated Dictionary:
      Many of the postmaster functions are actually handled by computer software such as dragons and mailer daemons.
  11. A variety of carrier pigeon.
Synonyms[edit]
Hypernyms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Related terms[edit]
Descendants[edit]
Translations[edit]
lizard of the genus Draco — see Draco
Komodo dragon — see Komodo dragon
constellation Draco — see Draco
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

See also[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

Derived from drag queen.

Noun[edit]

dragon (plural dragons)

  1. (slang) A transvestite man, or more broadly a male-to-female transgender person.
    • May 2017 Michael Connelly shares excerpt from The Late Show
      Ballard felt her phone vibrate in her hand and turned away from the nurse. She saw a return text from Mendez. She read his answer out loud to Jenkins. “‘Ramona Ramone, dragon. Real name Ramón Gutierrez. Had him in here a couple weeks back. Priors longer than his pre-op dick.’ Nice way of putting it.” “Considering his own dimensions,” Jenkins said. Drag queens, cross-dressers, and transgenders were all generally referred to as dragons in vice. No distinctions were made. It wasn’t nice but it was accepted.
    • October 2017 Drag Star VIZIN is back with new single Blasting News
      My favorite part was probably the ‘de-dragging.’ Taking the Dragon off (that’s what I call her) is always my favorite. In all honesty, the entire experience was amazing and I wouldn’t change it for the world. Being felt up by Michael Silas wasn’t bad either...
    • December 2017 Miss Lawrence as Miss Bruce, "Climax" Star episode 21
      Yes. Butt shots. Everybody can't afford lipo and fat transfers. Especially dragons. So if they want to pay me top dollar to pump their ass up that's what I'm gonna do, and you've benefited from it.

Anagrams[edit]

Danish[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Noun[edit]

dragon c (singular definite dragonen, plural indefinite dragoner)

  1. a dragoon (soldier of the mounted infantry)

Etymology 2[edit]

From Medieval Latin dragon, from Arabic طَرْخُون‎ (ṭarḵūn), from Ancient Greek δρακόντιον (drakóntion).

Noun[edit]

dragon c (singular definite dragonen, plural indefinite dragoner)

  1. (archaic) tarragon
    Synonym: esdragon

References[edit]

Dutch[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /draːˈɣɔn/
  • Hyphenation: dra‧gon
  • Rhymes: -ɔn

Etymology 1[edit]

Borrowed from Middle French dragon, from Arabic طَرْخُون‎ (ṭarḵūn), from Ancient Greek δρακόντιον (drakóntion).

Noun[edit]

dragon m (uncountable)

  1. The edible Mediterranean herb Artemisia dracunculus (tarragon), used as a salad spice
  2. The plant Erysimum cheiranthoides
Synonyms[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

Borrowed from French dragon.

Noun[edit]

dragon m (plural dragons, diminutive dragonnetje n)

  1. A (French) dragoon
Hypernyms[edit]

French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Inherited from Old French dragon, perhaps borrowed from Old Occitan dragon, from Latin dracō, from Ancient Greek δράκων (drákōn). Doublet of drac.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

dragon m (plural dragons, feminine dragonne)

  1. a dragon, creature or person
  2. a dragoon

Derived terms[edit]

Descendants[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

Middle English[edit]

Noun[edit]

dragon

  1. Alternative form of dragoun
    • 1382, Wyclif's Bible, Daniel 14:26:
      Therfor Daniel took pitch, and talow, and heeris, and sethide togidere; and he made gobetis, and yaf in to the mouth of the dragun; and the dragun was al to-brokun.
      (please add an English translation of this quote)
    • 1380-1399 — Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales, The Parson's Tale
      For God seith thus by Moyses: they shul been wasted with hunger, and the briddes of helle shul devouren hem with bitter deeth, and the galle of the dragon shal been hire drynke, and the venym of the dragon hire morsels.

Norman[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old French dragon, from Latin dracō, dracōnem, from Ancient Greek δράκων (drákōn).

Pronunciation[edit]

  • Audio (Jersey)(file)

Noun[edit]

dragon m (plural dragons)

  1. (Jersey, Guernsey) dragon
  2. (Jersey, Guernsey, nautical) flying jib

Norwegian Bokmål[edit]

Noun[edit]

dragon m (definite singular dragonen, indefinite plural dragoner, definite plural dragonene)

  1. a dragoon (soldier of the mounted infantry)

References[edit]

Norwegian Nynorsk[edit]

Noun[edit]

dragon m (definite singular dragonen, indefinite plural dragonar, definite plural dragonane)

  1. a dragoon (soldier of the mounted infantry)

References[edit]

Old Dutch[edit]

Etymology[edit]

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Verb[edit]

dragon

  1. to behave
  2. to acquire

Inflection[edit]

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants[edit]

Further reading[edit]

  • “dragon”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012

Old French[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Semi-learned term from Latin dracō, dracōnem, from Ancient Greek δράκων (drákōn).

Noun[edit]

dragon m (oblique plural dragons, nominative singular dragons, nominative plural dragon)

  1. dragon (mythical animal)

Descendants[edit]

Old Spanish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin dracōnem, accusative of dracō, from Ancient Greek δράκων (drákōn).

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

dragon m (plural dragones)

  1. dragon
    • c. 1250: Alfonso X, Lapidario, f. 103r.
      Et eſto faz deſcẽdiẽdo ſobrella la uertud de fig̃a de om̃e cubierto duna ſauana. ¬ cauallero ſobre un dragõ ¬ teniẽdo en ſu mano dieſtra una lãça.
      And it does this when over it descends the virtue of the figure of a man covered with a sheet, and a knight riding a dragon with a spear in his right hand.
    • Idem, f. 118v.
      Et es de la manera de las piedras ſeelladas. que los antigos gardauan. / Et presta pora echar los dragones. ¬ las ſirpientes. de los lugares.
      And it is akin to the sealed stones that the ancients kept. And it is good for expeling dragons and snakes from any place.

Descendants[edit]

Old Welsh[edit]

Noun[edit]

dragon m

  1. commander, war leader

Quotations[edit]

This entry needs quotations to illustrate usage. If you come across any interesting, durably archived quotes then please add them!

Related terms[edit]

Romanian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from French dragon, from Latin dracō, dracōnem. Doublet of the inherited drac (“devil”).

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

dragon m (plural dragoni)

  1. a dragon (mythical creature)
    Synonym: balaur
  2. a flying lizard species (of the genera Draco, Physignathus or Pogona)
  3. (astronomy, often capitalized, with definite articulation) Draco (constellation)
  4. (military) a dragoon (horse soldier)

Declension[edit]

Declension of dragon
singular plural
indefinite articulation definite articulation indefinite articulation definite articulation
nominative/accusative (un) dragon dragonul (niște) dragoni dragonii
genitive/dative (unui) dragon dragonului (unor) dragoni dragonilor
vocative dragonule dragonilor

Related terms[edit]

References[edit]

Swedish[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

dragon c

  1. a dragoon (soldier of the mounted infantry)
  2. the perennial herb tarragon
  3. leaves of that plant, used as seasoning

Declension[edit]

Declension of dragon 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative dragon dragonen dragoner dragonerna
Genitive dragons dragonens dragoners dragonernas

Related terms[edit]

Descendants[edit]

References[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

Tagalog[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Spanish dragón, from Latin dracōnem, from Ancient Greek δράκων (drákōn, “serpent, dragon”).

Pronunciation[edit]

  • Hyphenation: dra‧gon
  • IPA(key): /dɾaˈɡon/, [dɾɐˈɣon]

Noun[edit]

dragón (Baybayin spelling ᜇ᜔ᜇᜄᜓᜈ᜔)

  1. (mythology) dragon
    Synonym: naga
  2. (figuratively) cruel person

Further reading[edit]

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