Wordnet 3.0
NOUN (2)
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;
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
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]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
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
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
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
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (30 December 2018):
Gargoyle
A language for compiler writing.
[J.V. Garwick, CACM 7(1):16-20, (Jan 1964)].
(1994-11-04)
The Devil's Dictionary (1881-1906):
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.