gargoyle

noun

gar·​goyle ˈgär-ˌgȯi(-ə)l 

1

a

: a spout in the form of a grotesque human or animal figure projecting from a roof gutter to throw rainwater clear of a building

b

: a grotesquely carved figure

2

: a person with an ugly face

gargoyled

ˈgär-ˌgȯi(-ə)ld 

adjective

Illustration of gargoyle

• gargoyle 1a

Did you know?

In the 12th century, St. Bernard of Clairvaux reportedly complained about the new sculptures in the cloisters where he lived. "Surely," he is quoted as saying, "if we do not blush for such absurdities we should at least regret what we have spent on them." St. Bernard was apparently provoked by the grotesque figures designed to drain rainwater from buildings. By the 13th century, those figures were being called gargoyles, a name that came to Middle English from the Old French word gargoule. The stone beasts likely earned that name because of the water that gargled out of their throats and mouths; the word gargoule is imitative in origin.

Examples of gargoyle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Rooms are filled with modern and antique furniture, while the bones of the building—stone walls, eaves, gargoyles—sing out. —Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Dec. 2023

French doors on either side of the fireplace lead to a tree-shaded brick terrace, where the aforementioned gargoyle fountain is located. —Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 25 Apr. 2024

The images are alternately beautiful, artful, mysterious, and mundane: twentysomethings posing with clarinets or gargoyles, a woman sunbathing with the Twin Towers behind her, frolickers enjoying a naked summer at a lake. —Sarah Larson, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024

Villeneuve is adept at staging grand-scale battles, but the movie’s best set piece is the climactic tooth-and-nail face-off between Paul and this grinning gargoyle. —Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English gargule, gargoyl, from Old French gargoule

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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Kids Definition

gargoyle

noun

gar·​goyle ˈgär-ˌgȯil 

: a waterspout in the form of a strange or frightening human or animal figure sticking out at the roof or eaves of a building