Gargoyle

5 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  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 building, often
     carved grotesquely. [Written also {gargle}, {gargyle}, and


     {gurgoyle}.]
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  gargoyle
       n 1: a spout that terminates in a grotesquely carved figure of a
            person or animal
       2: an ornament consisting of a grotesquely carved figure of a
          person or animal

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  22 Moby Thesaurus words for "gargoyle":
     baboon, bag, beak, blemish, blot, dog, downspout, eyesore, fright,
     hag, harridan, mess, monster, monstrosity, no beauty, scarecrow,
     sight, spout, teratism, ugly duckling, waterspout, witch
  
  

From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03) [foldoc]:

  Gargoyle
       
          A language for compiler writing.
       
          [J.V. Garwick, CACM 7(1):16-20, (Jan 1964)].
       
          (1994-11-04)
       
       

From THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993) [devils]:

  GARGOYLE, n.  A rain-spout projecting from the eaves of mediaeval
  buildings, commonly fashioned into a grotesque caricature of some
  personal enemy of the architect or owner of the building.  This was
  especially the case in churches and ecclesiastical structures
  generally, in which the gargoyles presented a perfect rogues' gallery
  of local heretics and controversialists.  Sometimes when a new dean
  and chapter were installed the old gargoyles were removed and others
  substituted having a closer relation to the private animosities of the
  new incumbents.