Dragons

English speakers use the word "dragon" to denote a certain kind of mythological creature and any other mythological creature that resembles it enough. Longs, wyrms, and Quetzalcoatl are examples of mythological creatures that decidedly fall under English's dragon category. Before moderntimes dragons were considered to be serpents, but less snake like: typically with limbs, wings, horns, and a uniquely shaped jaw. We know this (especially as we grow older and read more) but nevertheless they are more like lizards or dinosaurs to us, the former being a distinct category away (but still similar to) snakes.
==Etymology==
Dragon ultimately comes from δρᾰ́κων, which also translates to dragon. This word may have come from δέρκομαι, which can mean: to see or to watch, to live, or something that's gleaming or flashing. This invokes the lidless staring of a snake or the shine of a snake or dragon's scales. Deeper in it comes from Proto-Indo-European's *derḱ, to see.
== Media ==
There is a huge amount of dragons in media, impossible to list. Equal to dogs or cats or perhaps moreso. Many, but not all, fictional worlds add in dragons. If they have monsters based off of non-real creatures that naturally exist in that world, chances are it has dragons (but not always). There are many shows that include dragons. Typically they are fictional-medieval settings. Dragons can exist in other types of worlds as well, however. But the association with a pseudo-medieval world, especially that of before history became a popular subject for people to look into and was previously only a history nerd thing, dragons were tied to it. Dragons may feature as villains, with intelligence or without, for the hero to prove his worth by destroying, most typically with a sword (a well-known trope, the knight vs the dragon). However, nowadays there are many tv shows and especially video games that are dragon centered. These games employ a color or theme to dragons. As dragons are fictional, you can give them any color you want. Unlike, say, unicorns, dragons are rabidly transformed from species-to-species and sub-forms-to-subforms. They often have an elemental element added to them: rock dragons, water dragons, fire dragons, forest (plant) dragons. Very often dragons are seperated in this way in modern media. Recently, due to mobile games, it has gone more extreme. Dragon collective games feature very silly and unusual dragon designs, like gingerbread dragons or corn dragons. The sheer amount of shows and video games are impossible to list here, and I'm not even going to start it here and then move it when it gets to big. I'm just going to make those lists later when I have the incentive to.
==See also==
* Serpents
Category:Dragons
Category:Mythology
Category:Animals important to American children