An archaic or variant spelling of 'griffin,' a mythical creature that is part eagle and part lion.
From Middle English and Old French 'griffon,' ultimately from Greek 'gryphon' or 'gryps,' possibly from a Semitic source. 'Griph' represents one of many historical spelling variants before modern standardization.
Before spelling was standardized (around the 1800s), people spelled words however they wanted! 'Griffin' could be 'griph,' 'gryphon,' 'griffon,' or dozens of other ways—that's why old documents look so wild to us.
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