| 单词 | gargoyle |
| 释义 | gargoyle (once / 9433 pages) n Gargoyle is a fearsome word for a monster. Fortunately, it's not a real monster. It's a grotesque carved beast sticking out from the gutter of a building, especially in Gothic architecture. If you've ever seen a statue of an ugly beast coming out of the side of the building, you've seen a gargoyle. There aren't a lot of pretty, friendly looking gargoyles in the world; they usually look frightening, strange, and grotesque (which is kind of a mix of really ugly and kind of bizarre). Gargoyles have a couple purposes. For one thing, they're part of the drainage system that keeps the building from flooding. Secondly, they're so nasty-looking that they should scare off evil spirits who would do harm to the building or the people inside. Too much water and too much evil are both bad for a building. WORD FAMILYgargoyle: gargoyles, gargoylism USAGE EXAMPLESSee gargoyles and stained-glass windows and climb lots of stairs to view the city from above. Washington Post(Dec 16, 2016) See gargoyles and stained-glass windows and climb stairs for a panoramic view of the city. Washington Post(Nov 29, 2016) I know about handicaps harder to cotton to, having stuttered terribly for decades, my face like a gargoyle’s, my mouth flabbering uncontrollably. New York Times(Nov 17, 2016) 1n an ornament consisting of a grotesquely carved figure of a person or animal Hyper decoration, ornament, ornamentation something used to beautify 2n a spout that terminates in a grotesquely carved figure of a person or animal Hyper spout an opening that allows the passage of liquids or grain |
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