gargoyle

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a spout that terminates in a grotesquely carved figure of a person or animal
  2. noun an ornament consisting of a grotesquely carved figure of a person or animal

Etymology

From Old French gargouille, from Latin. Doublet of gargle. The Académie Française suggests the first attestation as gargoule in 1294.

In classic literature

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