gargoyle — ► NOUN ▪ a grotesque carved human or animal face or figure projecting from the gutter of a building, usually as a spout to carry water clear of a wall. ORIGIN Old French gargouille throat , also gargoyle … English terms dictionary
Gargoyle — Gar goyle, n. [OE. garguilie, gargouille, cf. Sp. g[ a]rgola, prob. fr. the same source as F. gorge throat, influenced by L. gargarizare to gargle. See {Gorge} and cf. {Gargle}, {Gargarize}.] (Arch.) A spout projecting from the roof gutter of a… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
gargoyle — grotesque carved waterspout, late 13c., gargurl, from O.Fr. gargole throat, waterspout (see GARGLE (Cf. gargle)) … Etymology dictionary
gargoyle — [gär′goil΄] n. [ME gargule, throat < OFr gargouille: see GARGLE] 1. a waterspout, usually in the form of a grotesquely carved animal or fantastic creature, projecting from the gutter of a building 2. a projecting ornament (on a building) that… … English World dictionary
Gargoyle — In architecture, a gargoyle is a carved stone grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building. The term originates from the French gargouille, originally throat or gullet ;cite book|author=Houghton … Wikipedia
gargoyle — gargoyled, adj. /gahr goyl/, n. 1. a grotesquely carved figure of a human or animal. 2. a spout, terminating in a grotesque representation of a human or animal figure with open mouth, projecting from the gutter of a building for throwing rain… … Universalium
gargoyle — UK [ˈɡɑː(r)ɡɔɪl] / US [ˈɡɑrˌɡɔɪl] noun [countable] Word forms gargoyle : singular gargoyle plural gargoyles a stone statue of an ugly creature, used mainly on old churches for directing water away from the roof … English dictionary
gargoyle — noun /ˈɡɑː.ɡɔɪl,ˈɡɑɹ.ɡɔɪl/ a) A carved grotesque figure on a spout which conveys water away from the gutters. From between set teeth came now a flow of oaths and imprecations as steady as the flow of water from the gargoyle overhead. b) Any… … Wiktionary
gargoyle — [15] The ancient root *garg , *gurgoriginated as an imitation of throat sounds. From it were derived such guttural words as Greek gargaraaizein ‘gargle’ (whence Latin gargarizāre ‘gargle’) and Latin gurguliō ‘gullet’ (Latin gurges, source of… … The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins
gargoyle — [[t]gɑ͟ː(r)gɔɪl[/t]] gargoyles N COUNT A gargoyle is a decorative stone carving on old buildings. It is usually shaped like the head of a strange and ugly creature, and water drains through it from the roof of the building … English dictionary
