Gargoyle

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɡɑːɡɔɪl/

Definitions

1. a grotesque stone or carved creature, often depicting a demon or monster, that is mounted on buildings as a decorative or protective ornament
2. a frightening sculptural figure of an imaginary beast or demon that adorns the exterior of structures for aesthetic or symbolic purposes
3. an ugly carved stone representation of a fearsome creature, typically a hybrid animal or demon, used as architectural decoration on buildings

Etymology: The word's core meaning is the throat. Old French "gargouille" meant throat, and the connection to the gutter spout is physical: a carved stone figure projecting from a roof or wall channels rainwater away from the building, pouring it out of a gaping mouth. The sound of water rushing through a throat-like opening gave the French word its sense, and the same root is behind the English verb "gargle," making the two words doublets, relatives that entered English by different routes. The Académie Française suggests the earliest attestation is "gargoule" in 1294, which places the word in medieval French building vocabulary about seven centuries before English adopted it. Its first use there was for the water-spout itself, not the monstrous sculpture we now picture. The grotesque faces and creatures were a later development. Medieval masons turned the spouts into fantastic beasts, and the decorative figure came to dominate the meaning, so that the modern word describes the carving rather than the plumbing that originally gave it its name.

Synonyms: water spout, ornament, figurine