Etymology

gargoyle

G2A1R1G2O1Y4L1E1

Today it means: A carved grotesque figure on a spout which conveys water away from the gutters. Full definition →

Old French gargouille
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The story

  1. Old French · derived fromgargouille
  2. English todaygargoyle

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

Words from the same roots

Old Frenchgargouille all →

gargle

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.