Gargoyle
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A carved grotesque figure on a spout which conveys water away from the gutters.
"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."
- 2 an ornament consisting of a grotesquely carved figure of a person or animal wordnet
- 3 Any decorative carved grotesque figure on a building.
"The long-closed G.W.R. station alongside has a decidedly derelict-looking frontage, with eight gargoyles or figureheads still clinging to the portico."
- 4 a spout that terminates in a grotesquely carved figure of a person or animal wordnet
- 5 A fictional winged monster.
"Almost immediately one of the gargoyles swept down from the sky and attacked him. The gargoyle's momentum drove them both over the side."
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- 6 An ugly woman. derogatory
"Above all, in what reckless moment had she encouraged that person and her gargoyle of a mother to move to Mayfair, and set up house around the corner?"
Example
More examples"About my conlang Vling, maybe I just like the word 'bog'. My other favourite English words are 'whirligig', 'tumbleweed', 'serendipity', 'gargoyle', 'jelly', 'storm', 'ambiance', 'steampunk', 'logogram', 'gazebo', and 'thistle'."
Etymology
From Old French gargouille, from Latin. Doublet of gargle. The Académie Française suggests the first attestation as gargoule in 1294.
Related phrases
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.