Gargoyle

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈɡɑː.ɡɔɪl/
• US IPA: /ˈɡɑɹ.ɡɔɪl/

Origin

From Old French gargouille.

Full definition of gargoyle

Noun

1. A carved grotesque figure on a spout which conveys water away from the gutters.
• 1906, Rafael Sabatini, The Trampling of the Lilies‎, page 110From between set teeth came now a flow of oaths and imprecations as steady as the flow of water from the gargoyle overhead.
2. Any decorative carved grotesque figure on a building.
3. A fictional winged monster.
• 2005, Mel Odom, The Secret Explodes‎, page 200Almost immediately one of the gargoyles swept down from the sky and attacked him. The gargoyle's momentum drove them both over the side.
4. (slang, pejorative) An ugly woman.

Synonyms

• (any decorative carved grotesque figure) grotesque, hunky punk
• (ugly woman) crone, hag

Derived terms

• gargoylish