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What is a grotesque gargoyle?
In architecture, and specifically in Gothic architecture, a gargoyle (/ˈɡɑːrɡɔɪl/) is a carved or formed grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between.
What is a meaning of a gargoyle?
1a : 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.
What’s another name for a gargoyle?
In this page you can discover 12 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for gargoyle, like: grotesque figure, cherub, gargoyles, sculpture, battlement, cyclopean, bas-relief, gutter, spout, drain and rainspout.
Is it a gargoyle or a grotesque?
Basically, grotesques are decorative stone carvings on old buildings, usually the heads of strange and ugly creatures, whereas gargoyles are spouts in the form of grotesque human or animal figures projecting from a roof gutter to throw rainwater clear of a building.
What is a grotesque Cathedral figure?
In architecture, a grotesque or chimera is a fantastic or mythical figure used for decorative purposes. Chimerae are often described as gargoyles, although the term gargoyle technically refers to figures carved specifically as terminations to spouts which convey water away from the sides of buildings.
What do you call a gargoyle that doesn’t spout water?
Grotesques do not have a water spout like gargoyles, but are simply stone carvings, or paintings of creatures. They can be used as protection like gargoyles, or decorative paintings, and sculptures. Another name for a grotesque, is a chimera.
What does the term gargoyle mean in its root form?
Word Origin for gargoyle C15: from Old French gargouille gargoyle, throat; see gargle.
What were gargoyles used for?
The precise purpose of gargoyles was to act as a spout to convey water from the upper part of a building or roof gutter and away from the side of walls or foundations, thereby helping to prevent water from causing damage to masonry and mortar.
How do you use the word gargoyle in a sentence?
Gargoyle sentence example She approached the window, amazed at the snow, until her gaze fell to a figure kneeling like a dark gargoyle in the middle of the white lawn.
Where did gargoyles come from?
THEY DATE BACK TO ANCIENT EGYPT. Although the name gargoyle dates back just a few centuries, the practice of crafting decorative, animal-themed drain spouts reaches back several millennia. The ancient Egyptians had a thing for lions, as did the Romans and the Greeks.
What animal is a gargoyle?
Ancient Egyptians usually created gargoyles in the shape of a lion’s head. Other popular animal gargoyles were dogs, wolves, eagles, snakes, goats, and monkeys. Over the years, many other types of creatures have been used as gargoyles.
What is a grotesque used for?
The Italian word “grottesca” became the name for this unique art style, and by 1561 it had mutated into the English noun “grotesque.” The adjective form of “grotesque” was first used in the early 17th century to describe the decorative art but is now used to describe anything bizarre, incongruous, or unusual.