Draco(noun)

Athenian lawmaker whose code of laws prescribed death for almost every offense (circa 7th century BC)

Draco, Dragon(noun)

a faint constellation twisting around the north celestial pole and lying between Ursa Major and Cepheus

Draco, genus Draco(noun)

a reptile genus known as flying dragons or flying lizards

Draco(ProperNoun)

A circumpolar constellation of the northern sky, said to resemble a dragon. It features a line of stars (including Thuban) that winds between Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.

Draco(ProperNoun)

The name of an Athenian lawgiver, known for the severity of his laws.

Draco(ProperNoun)

One of Actaeon's hounds.

Draco(noun)

the Dragon, a northern constellation within which is the north pole of the ecliptic

Draco(noun)

a luminous exhalation from marshy grounds

Draco(noun)

a genus of lizards. See Dragon, 6

Draco

a celebrated Athenian law-giver, who first gave stability to the State by committing the laws to writing, and establishing the Ephetæ, or court of appeal, 621 B.C.; only he punished every transgressor of his laws with death, so that his code became unbearable, and was superseded ere long by a milder, instituted by Solon, who affixed the penalty of death to murder alone; he is said to have justified the severity of his code by maintaining that the smallest crime deserved death, and he knew no severer punishment for greater; it is said he was smothered to death in the theatre by the hats and cloaks showered on him as a popular mark of honour; he was archon of Athens.