Editing Gargoyle (section)

== Etymology ==
The term originates from the [[French language|French]] ''gargouille'' (Old French ''gargoule'' (1294) "conduit for waterflow"), composed of the onomatopoeic root ''garg-'' and the Old French ''goule'' "animal mouth, throat",<ref>[[Alain Rey]], ''Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française'', Paris, [[Le Robert]], 2014.</ref> which remained dialectal or is otherwise known as the "gullet";<ref name="Hargreaves 1990 p. 51" /><ref name="American Heritage Dictionary" /> ''gullet'' is itself from Old French ''golet'', diminutive form of ''gole'' (older spelling of ''goule'') cf. [[Latin]] ''gula'' "gullet, throat, palate, mouth", ''gurgulio'' and similar words derived from the root ''gurg-'' / ''garg-'' "to swallow", which represented the ''gurgling'' sound of water (e.g., [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] and [[Spanish language|Spanish]] ''garganta,'' "throat"; but ''gárgola'' "gargoyle" is from Old French). It is also connected to the French verb ''gargariser'', which shares the ''garg-'' root with the verb ''gargle'',<ref name="Benton 1997" />{{rp|8}}<ref name="Online Etymology Dictionary" /> from Old French too and is likely imitative in origin.<ref name="Merriam-Webster 2015" /> The [[Italian language|Italian]] word for gargoyle is ''doccione'' or ''gronda sporgente,''  an architecturally precise phrase which means "protruding gutter". Italian also uses ''gargolla'' or ''garguglia'', borrowed from Old French and French, when it has a grotesque shape.

When not constructed as a waterspout and only serving an ornamental or artistic function, the technical term for such a sculpture is a [[Grotesque (architecture)|grotesque]], chimera, or [[Boss (architecture)|boss]]. There are also regional variations, such as the [[hunky punk]]. Just as with [[Boss (architecture)|boss]]es and [[Grotesque (architecture)|chimeras]], gargoyles are said to protect what they guard, such as a church, from any evil or harmful spirits.