gargoyle

Meaning

1. A carved grotesque figure on a spout which conveys water away from the gutters.
2. Any decorative carved grotesque figure on a building.
3. A fictional winged monster.
4. (derogatory) An ugly woman.

Synonyms

bag

gorge

spout

statue

throat

one’s wife

ridge-end tile

old bag

grotesque figure

drip mold

larmier

Translations

gargouille

Wasserspeier

gárgola

gárgula

waterspuwer

gàrgola

gargolla

doccione

gargouille

befana

racchia

Gargula

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈɡɑː.ɡɔɪl/

Etymology

From Old French gargouille, from Latin, and native Old English swillan (“to gargle”), from Proto-West Germanic *swilljan, from Proto-Germanic *swiljaną (“to gulp, swallow”), from Proto-Indo-European *swel- (“to drink, gulp, swallow”). Doublet of gargle. The Académie Française suggests the first attestation as gargoule in 1294.