gargoyle

Definition

A carved grotesque figure on a spout which conveys water away from the gutters.

Etymology

From Old French gargouille, from Latin. Doublet of gargle. The Académie Française suggests the first attestation as gargoule in 1294.

Example Sentences

• "As we went, however, I took the precaution of noting our route as well as I could; and this was not so very difficult, owing to the extraordinary and most fantastic shape of the rocks that were strewn about, many of which in that dim light looked more like the grim faces carven upon mediæval gargoyles than ordinary boulders."
• "From between set teeth came now a flow of oaths and imprecations as steady as the flow of water from the gargoyle overhead."
• "The long-closed G.W.R. station alongside has a decidedly derelict-looking frontage, with eight gargoyles or figureheads still clinging to the portico."