- gargoyle
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—gargoyled, adj./gahr"goyl/, n.1. a grotesquely carved figure of a human or animal.2. a spout, terminating in a grotesque representation of a human or animal figure with open mouth, projecting from the gutter of a building for throwing rain water clear of a building.[1250-1300; ME gargoile < OF gargouille, gargoule lit., throat; see GARGLE]
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Carved spout that drains water from a rooftop gutter.The Gothic gargoyle was usually a grotesque bird or animal sitting on the back of a cornice and projecting forward for several feet in order to throw the water far from the building. The term is often loosely applied to any grotesque or fantastic beast, such as the chimères (chimeras) that decorate the parapets of Notre-Dame de Paris.* * *
in architecture, waterspout designed to drain water from the parapet gutter. Originally the term referred only to the carved lions of classical cornices or to terra-cotta spouts, such as those found in the Roman structures at Pompeii. The word later became restricted mainly to the grotesque, carved spouts of the European Middle Ages. It is often, although incorrectly, applied to other grotesque beasts, such as the chimères (chimeras) that decorate the parapets of Notre-Dame at Paris. The gargoyle of the developed Gothic period is usually a grotesque bird or beast sitting on its haunches on the back of a cornice molding and projected forward for several feet in order to throw the water far from the building.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
