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Articles from Britannica encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

gargoyle - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)

Gargoyles are waterspouts set high on a building that direct rainwater away from the building’s walls. Most gargoyles are carved from a block of solid stone. They are made to look like animals, monsters, laughing or scowling humans, dragons, or demons. A channel, or groove, cut along the top of the statue directs rainwater away from the building through the gargoyle’s open mouth and onto the streets below. Today people often call any stone carving of a strange creature a gargoyle. However, if such carvings are not waterspouts they are not technically gargoyles. Instead they are known as chimeras.

gargoyle - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

In architecture, the gargoyle is a waterspout designed to drain water from the parapet gutter. As the rainwater collects on top of the building’s roof or atop the gargoyle, the water is channeled to the mouth of the statue, where it is shot out and directed away from the structure’s wall and foundation. Gargoyles are most commonly carved into animals or grotesque beasts, but they also can be found in human likenesses and may have comical features.

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