dragon

noun

drag·​on ˈdra-gən 

1

archaic : a huge serpent

2

: a mythical animal usually represented as a monstrous winged and scaly serpent or saurian with a crested head and enormous claws

3

: a violent, combative, or very strict person

4

capitalized : draco

5

: something or someone formidable or baneful

dragonish

ˈdra-gə-nish 

adjective

Examples of dragon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There’s house banners on some of the world’s most iconic buildings, dragons on the Empire State Building. —Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 June 2024

How Saint George’s Dragon Got Its Wings As time went on, the dragons in Russian iconography slowly became more Western in style—just like Russia itself. —JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024

Other recent salmonella outbreaks have been linked to pet bearded dragons, backyard poultry and basil, the agency says. —Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 19 June 2024

The season 2 opening credits show the Targaryen family's story in a beautiful, detailed embroidery, as blood flows throughout the tapestry to showcase various locations, dragons and plenty of platinum white-haired dragon riders. —Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 17 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French dragun, from Latin dracon-, draco serpent, dragon, from Greek drakōn serpent; akin to Old English torht bright, Greek derkesthai to see, look at

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing dragon

• dragon fruit
• dragon lady
• dragon's blood
• dragon's teeth
• green dragon
• Komodo dragon

Kids Definition

dragon

noun

drag·​on ˈdrag-ən 

1

: an imaginary animal usually pictured as a huge serpent or lizard with wings and large claws

2

capitalized : draco

Etymology

Middle English dragon "dragon," from early French dragun (same meaning), from Latin dracon-, draco "serpent, dragon," from Greek drakōn "serpent" — related to rankle