Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary/Draco

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Rich, Anthony (1849). The illustrated companion to the Latin dictionary, and Greek lexicon. p. vi. OCLC 894670115. https://archive.org/details/illustratedcompa00rich. 

DRA'CO. A dragon; the ensign of a military cohort, adopted from the Parthians, and introduced into the Roman army, about the time of Trajan. It was made in the image of a large dragon (Draco/1.1) fixed upon a spear, having its head with gaping jaws of silver, while the rest of the body was formed of coloured cloth or skins, which, being hollow and flexible, waved about with motions like those of the reptile it represented, as the wind entered through the open mouth. Veget. Mil. ii. 13. Ammian. xvi. 10. 7. and 12. 39. Claud. iii. Cons. Honor. 138. Nemesian. 85.

2. An apparatus for heating water in a manner which economized both time and fuel; consisting in a boiler furnished with a number of tubes set round it, like the coils of a serpent, so that the entire quantity of the liquid was exposed at the same time, and in small quantities, to the action of the fire. Senec. Quaest. Nat. iii. 24.

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  Draco/1.1