GARGOYLE, in architec ture, a decorated water spout. Although technically speaking the term applies to the carved lions of classic cornices, or to the terra-cotta spout, such as those found frequently in Pompeii, in general usage the word has be come restricted to the grotesque, carved spouts of the middle ages, and is even, incorrectly, applied to other grotesque beasts, such as the cliimeres that decorate the parapets of Notre Dame at Paris. The gargoyle of the developed Gothic period is usually a grotesque bird or beast sitting on its haunches on the back of a cornice moulding and, in order to throw the water far from the building, projecting for several feet.