griffon

Forms

griffon m (plural griffons)^[1] Old French grifon, grifun and gripon, and the older nominative grip with its oblique case gripun.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is from Old French grif + -on, the simple word naming the fabulous animal in Old French.^[2][4][1][5] The simple word is from Ecclesiastical Latin gryphus (“a kind of vulture”), which, through an unexplained change of consonant, replaced Classical Latin grȳpus (“fabulous bird”), a variant of gryps, borrowed from Ancient Greek γρύψ (grúps, “griffin”).^[2][6][7] The Old French forms grip and gripun go back to the classical form.^[2][7] The word is unrelated to griffe.^[6][4]

The hunting dog's name is a separate derivative: the TLFi and Rey take it from an old noun of the same spelling as the word for “claw”, meaning “a kind of bloodhound” (1611, Cotgrave), its form probably influenced by the name of the creature.^[2][6]

Cognate with Italian grifone.^[8] Italian grifo and Spanish grifo continue the simple Latin word.^[8][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

In Rashi's glosses (late 11th century) grifon names a bird; in the Chanson de Roland (about 1100) grifun is the fabulous creature, half eagle and half lion.^[2][6]

Semantic evolution

Like Christian Latin gryphus, Old French gripon (about 1250) named large birds of prey;^[2][6] in the classical period griffon came to mean the griffon vulture (1672, Sacy's Bible), then the common swift (1762 or 1779).^[2][6][9] The fabulous animal remained common in heraldry and decoration.^[2]

From Provençal grifo “gushing public fountain”, old fountains often being decorated with griffin heads, griffon also took the sense of a fountain, and in hydrology (1866) the place where a spring comes out of the ground.^[6][9] The wire-haired hunting dog is recorded from 1608 (spelt gryphon) or 1660.^[6][2][9]

Timeline

• Late 11th century – Grifon names a bird in Rashi's glosses.^[2]
• c. 1100 – Grifun is the fabulous creature in the Chanson de Roland.^[2]
• c. 1250 – Gripon names large birds of prey.^[2]
• 1608 – The dog sense appears, spelt gryphon.^[6][9]
• 1660 – Oudin records the hunting dog.^[2][10]
• 1672 – Sacy's Bible uses it for the vulture.^[2][10]
• 1779 – Buffon uses it for the common swift.^[2]
• 1866 – The hydrological sense appears.^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. A griffin, a fabulous animal with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle, also in heraldry and decoration.^[9][2][1]
2. The griffon vulture; also the common swift.^[9][2][1]
3. A wire-haired hunting or pet dog: griffon d'arrêt, griffon vendéen.^[9][2][10]
4. (hydrology) The point where the water of a spring comes out of the ground; formerly a gushing public fountain.^[9][6][11]
5. Paper with a griffin in its watermark.^[2][11]

Related words

• hippogriffe
• Latin gryphus

Usage notes

A separate griffon, from griffer, named a hook (1411) and a goldsmith's file with a toothed edge (1642), and later a double fish hook for pike (1866).^[4][2]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
4. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 4, 297b
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
8. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
9. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
11. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette