Word of the Day

: October 31, 2007

gargoyle

noun GAR-goy-ul

What It Means

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

gargoyle in Context

The monastery's gargoyles had supposedly been modeled on the faces of monks who had formerly resided there.

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 "gargoule." The stone beasts may have earned that name because of the water that gargled out of their throats and mouths.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.