Ok, Basilikon and basil as synonyms for royal have a pretty interesting history: So it's unclear why basil's lumped in with royalty, but the story gets even mo

Ok, Basilikon and basil as synonyms for royal have a pretty interesting history: So it's unclear why basil's lumped in with royalty, but the story gets even more muddled when a mythical monster rears its tiny, ugly head. The basilisk, which you might remember from your Greek mythology or your Harry Potter, depending on your personal brand of nerdiness, was originally a tiny, highly venomous serpent. Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder named it basiliskos, Greek for "little king," because it supposedly had a crown-shaped mark on its head. It had the power to freeze living things with its gaze and melt surrounding shrubs with its poison, and might have been based on stories of King Cobras filtering over to Ancient Greece from India. https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/article/the-etymology-of-basil https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/article/...