Griffe
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /ɡɹɪf/ · Part of speech noun
Quick meaning: Griffe is a noun meaning A claw-like ornament at the base of a column.
Meaning
A claw-like ornament at the base of a column.
More Meanings
- (chiefly US, dialectal, dated or historical) A person of mixed (black and white) race, especially the offspring of a mulatto (person of mixed black and white ancestry) and a person of fully black ancestry.
Example Sentences
Saint-Domingue's complex system of racial classification allowed for no fewer than eight “mixed” racial parental combinations that could produce a griffe, as infamously calculated by Moreau.
The primary use of this is to give the column a broader base and to diminish the amount of the cutting away of the solid stone. The griffe, however, is often used for elaborate ornamentation, being carved into vegetable or even animal form.
Word Forms
- griffes
- grif
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include spur, devil, claw, clava, scapus, apophyge.
Related Dictionary Tools
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.