gargoyle

gargoyle
\ \ [15] The ancient root *garg-, *gurgoriginated as an imitation of throat sounds. From it were derived such guttural words as Greek gargaraaizeingargle’ (whence Latin gargarizāregargle’) and Latin gurguliōgullet’ (Latin gurges, source of English gorge and regurgitate, had moved further figuratively to ‘whirlpool’). Among the offspring of gurguliō are Vulgar Latin *gurguliāre, source of English gurgle [16], and Old French gargouillethroat’.
\ \ Roof spouts carved in the shape of grotesque creatures had the term gargouille applied to them from the notion that the rain-water was coming out of their throats – hence English gargoyle. Gargouille also formed the basis of the verb gargouillergargle, gurgle’, from which English gets gargle [16].
\ \ Cf.GARGLE, GURGLE

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Gargoyle — bezeichnet: Wasserspeier (englisch Gargoyle, französisch Gargouille) Gargoyle Island, eine unbewohnte Insel im Nordpazifik, die zu den Fox Islands gehört Gargoyleosaurus, ein Vogelbeckensaurier des Oberjura eine Spielfigur aus dem… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • gargoyle — ► NOUN ▪ a grotesque carved human or animal face or figure projecting from the gutter of a building, usually as a spout to carry water clear of a wall. ORIGIN Old French gargouille throat , also gargoyle …   English terms dictionary

  • Gargoyle — Gar goyle, n. [OE. garguilie, gargouille, cf. Sp. g[ a]rgola, prob. fr. the same source as F. gorge throat, influenced by L. gargarizare to gargle. See {Gorge} and cf. {Gargle}, {Gargarize}.] (Arch.) A spout projecting from the roof gutter of a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • gargoyle — grotesque carved waterspout, late 13c., gargurl, from O.Fr. gargole throat, waterspout (see GARGLE (Cf. gargle)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • gargoyle — [gär′goil΄] n. [ME gargule, throat < OFr gargouille: see GARGLE] 1. a waterspout, usually in the form of a grotesquely carved animal or fantastic creature, projecting from the gutter of a building 2. a projecting ornament (on a building) that… …   English World dictionary

  • Gargoyle — In architecture, a gargoyle is a carved stone grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building. The term originates from the French gargouille, originally throat or gullet ;cite book|author=Houghton …   Wikipedia

  • gargoyle — 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… …   Universalium

  • gargoyle — UK [ˈɡɑː(r)ɡɔɪl] / US [ˈɡɑrˌɡɔɪl] noun [countable] Word forms gargoyle : singular gargoyle plural gargoyles a stone statue of an ugly creature, used mainly on old churches for directing water away from the roof …   English dictionary

  • gargoyle — noun /ˈɡɑː.ɡɔɪl,ˈɡɑɹ.ɡɔɪl/ a) A carved grotesque figure on a spout which conveys water away from the gutters. From between set teeth came now a flow of oaths and imprecations as steady as the flow of water from the gargoyle overhead. b) Any… …   Wiktionary

  • gargoyle — [15] The ancient root *garg , *gurgoriginated as an imitation of throat sounds. From it were derived such guttural words as Greek gargaraaizein ‘gargle’ (whence Latin gargarizāre ‘gargle’) and Latin gurguliō ‘gullet’ (Latin gurges, source of… …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • gargoyle — [[t]gɑ͟ː(r)gɔɪl[/t]] gargoyles N COUNT A gargoyle is a decorative stone carving on old buildings. It is usually shaped like the head of a strange and ugly creature, and water drains through it from the roof of the building …   English dictionary

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